


Tales of If's and When's

by Ashura77



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-11-29 13:52:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 56,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11442240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashura77/pseuds/Ashura77
Summary: Call it Stockholm Syndrome, a too hard knock on the head after his fall from the carriage, or a sudden change of hearts, but when Woodes Rogers ends up on the Walrus together with the cache, wounded but far from defeated, it doesn't take that much persuading to have him join forces with Flint, Vane and the others to make sure Nassau won't fall to the Spanish. And once he has tasted the freedom the life as a pirate can offer, it becomes difficult to reconcile his desires with the expectations of the old world.





	1. 00 - Disclaimer, Notes, Blablabla

 

 **Title :** Tales of If's and When's  
**Fandom :** Black Sails  
**Author :** My little person

 **Pairings :** Woodes Rogers/? for now; all canon pairings

 **Rating :** NC-17, M  
**Warning :** violence, sex, drugs and alcohol, blood and gore, era-typical stuff that is not for the faint of heart or young ones.

 **Disclaimer :** Not mine, not making any money with this, no harm is intended, yadayadayada

 **Notes :**  
-Starts around episode XXIV (Season 3, episode 6), with Jack Rackham getting 'apprehended' and follows the show until episode XXVI (S03,e08) when instead of Vane caught by Rogers, the latter gets taken as a prize hostage along with the cache; from then on the story will obviously be pretty much “AU” but following the events of the show  
-Some dialogue in the first chapters is taken straight out of the show, don't sue me and don't think it is because I am lazy or unimaginative, it was to make it easier to stay as much canon as possible  
-This is the result of a sick leave, writers block deluxe and binge-watching Black Sails and then coming across the show 'Ransom', muses thinking “man, does Woodes Rogers clean up nicely or what” and bamm, it happens, the idea blossoms, the first lines are written and before you know writer's block is gone and you have over 20k of story and story fragments on the screen...  
-This fic is “mature audiences only”, there will be sex, it will be very explicit when it comes to m/m and just insinuated and mostly faded to black when it is het or f/f. Sorry, but I feel uneasy when writing women in the act, so not to end up with rubbish I stay away from it.  
-I do not have a beta-reader, so if someone feels like they'd want to, just shoot me a parrot and we'll be in business

 

 

#### 

**ADDITIONAL NOTE :**

**(not sure anyone will read this story, but I'll leave this out here, who knows)**

I am yet undecided as to who will become Woodes' lover, I've got a couple of very nice ideas, but they all seem interesting and would work, so if anyone has a preference, for now I'll still take advice and suggestions up to chapters 5-7 (depending on how I'll split them up)  
(not in any particular order)  
-Woodes ending with Jack Rackham, why not, they spend time together and talk, and maybe bond, and remember that hilarious scene when Anne asks Jack if he wants something up his butt when he has trouble “performing” in bed, what better male lover as an obnoxious, self-confident and arrogant ex-governor turned pirate  
-Woodes and Flint, those two are self-explanatory, two sides of the same coin colliding, with either Thomas in the middle or not, but the air would be sizzling and what message they would send to England, ending both sailing under the black  
-Woodes and Ltn Utley, that gorgeous guy who lost his eyes in Max's cleavage, faithful officer at his side, and maybe more  
-Woodes and Blackbeard, oh the beautiful domination and hatred that would accompany those encounters, though this pairing strikes my muses more as a shorter one-shot  
-Woodes and Vane, now those two have yet to give me an idea on how they could work hehe  
-Woodes and ?, maybe I forgot someone?

 

Anyway, if anyone has a pref, holler. I have one that tickles me more than the others, but I am open to a new input.


	2. 01 - Of Lies...

 

Jack Rackham could feel all eyes on him as he was escorted through Nassau, see them stare and whisper and point at him. He would have loved knowing what was going on when he walked up the steps inside a place he had called a home once and was now buzzling with strangers who had no business on his island. It all looked familiar and foreign at the same time, the place he once walked in and out, calling it his, having found a place where to lay down for a little while, now overrun by English officers and other 'parasites' that had arrived with the new governor. Unfortunately he wasn't in any situation to offer a remedy to that problem, not yet. He felt a strange kind of apprehension in him, paired with curiosity as to why the new governor had been looking for him and Anne specifically. It all made him feel a little sorry to have come back to get that stupid pardon, just to salvage his name. They arrived before a door, the two officers still flanking him and their faces blank, if not a little reddish on the cheeks.

Their knocking on his door ripped Woodes Rogers out of his reflections, mainly circling around the pirate he would soon be forced to greet in his office. Max and Eleanor had spoken about their dealings with him and his ever-present partner Anne Bonny, but that had not been enough for him to puzzle together a picture of the man. He had to find a way to make him understand there was only one way out of this all, and that was returning the cache. And best before the deadline expired, Woodes didn't put it beneath Raja to send his fleet the moment it elapsed.

Woodes would have loved to tell the Spanish governor to shove the prospect of getting back the gold up his ass, but he didn't even have the beginning of a big enough fleet and army to risk such a move. Not to mention England would probably hang him for treason if he went after the Spanish without their approval. He rubbed his face, rolling his neck while getting up and called “Come in,” why wait, he was ready to let the games begin.

Jack had been looking at the ceiling, the time between the knock and the reaction a bit too long for his taste, but what to expect from a 'proper' English lord. When the door finally opened he was pushed inside rather harshly, making him tumble a little.

“Hey,” Jack patted at the guard who had pushed him and the man wanted to retaliate, an harsh “Enough... Give us the room, now” interrupting him and making Jack turn towards the voice. So that was their 'new governor', if they had met in a different situation, he would have said he was easy on the eyes, very easy on the eyes even, but he radiated something that didn't quite sit well with the pirate. Something he had come across often enough in his life and recognized for what it was: a predator in disguise. Someone mastering the act of masking his true intentions under charming smiles and probably very deceptive words.

As he heard the doors close behind him, he cocked his head, giving Rogers a quick once-over to emphasize his words “So, _you_ must be our new governor.” The mind had a way of conjuring up faces and bodies, but this was most certainly not what he had imagined when he had read his book.

Eyes the colour of the deep blue sea on a sunny day sparkled amused as they finally laid upon the 'lost' pirate “I see I can keep nothing from you, Captain Rackham,” as Woodes stopped before him, extending his hand and introducing himself just for the form “Woodes Rogers, new governor of New Providence island... It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Jack accepted the hand-shake “I am not certain this is a pleasure yet, but yes, Jack Rackham. I heard you were looking for me. May I know the reason for that?”

“A drink?” Jack felt relieved and eagerly nodded “Thank you” as he sat down, doing his best not to gawk at the other man as he served them what looked to be wine. He had been waiting to have a drink after getting their pardons, so finally being offered one seemed one step into the right direction and he wouldn't be difficult on the quality of the brew. Not that it quenched his curiosity for why he sat here, and now having gotten a look of Woodes Rogers, he wasn't certain how to feel as he accepted the glass. The man would be highly amusing to be played with, that was for sure.

“I apologize for the strangeness of this meeting, I know you and I don't know each other,” Jack interrupted him after having tasted his drink, both to calm his nerves and kill the thirst he had been suffering “I know you... Some...” He felt a bit stupid but then sheepishly admitted “I've read your book.” Not that he had liked it, but being face to face with someone who had somewhat immortalized himself by writing a book, as boring as it may have been, it impressed him a little.

“Did you?” Woodes stopped and looked at Jack, a little intrigued. He had had a hard time picturing the man after Eleanor and Max's descriptions, and even now he couldn't quite read him. The clothing style was peculiar, as was the man sitting in that chair in his entirety.

Jack wasn't certain he liked the tone, the man either thought him too stupid to be capable of reading or lying, so it wasn't really difficult for him to dash out a little dig “Most of it... I confess I may not quite have soldiered through to the end, you know... But I got the gist of it.”

Now that was a politely disguised slap Woodes had seen coming by a mile, and it confirmed him in his believe the man before him was far from what he seemed and that Max's and Eleanor's warning of a great manipulator and sweet-talker was indeed founded. “If you do not mind my asking, what did you take to be its gist?”

“Wealthy son of a wealthy man takes to the sea, to prove something to the parents – presumably... Seeks adventure, finds the limits of his own capacity... Loses anything in the process... And then stumbles on a hell of a story – in the process...” Jack realized what he had just spit out, how many times had Anne and Vane told him to reflect before speaking, and looking up into Woodes eyes' he could see a little fire of anger burning in his eyes, a little smile still on his lips, as if he too was processing what he had just been told even if the message clearly seemed to have arrived. “Please understand, I am quite particular about my library... But people seem to have liked it fine and it seems to have done wonders for you. So congratulations on all that...”

Woodes understood that for what it was, the games were on, and his opponent wasn't afraid in the least of him, taunting him with either a personal opinion or an outright insult, it didn't really matter. He couldn't let himself get pushed over this fast, and quite honestly, he didn't care what someone like the man before him thought of his book. It annoyed him a little, praise was always nicer, but in this he couldn't expect an honest answer so he wouldn't let it bother him.

“Thank you,” he sat down “All of that notwithstanding, you and I share an experience in this place. And as such, I am hopeful that you'll understand why it is I brought you here today.. And what it is I am about to ask of you.”

He felt a lot less certain all of a sudden, Rogers' voice and the implications suddenly turning his mood serious “What's that?”

Woodes hadn't had much time to prepare this, hell, an hour ago he hadn't even thought it possible to actually get a grip on the man in time, and cut straight to the chase “I know you removed a certain amount of gold from the fort...” He had to hand it to Jack that he managed to keep a straight face, but that wouldn't help him in the least. “I know it is in your possession and I need you to give it up...” Woodes locked eyes with Jack, trying to convey the urgency of the matter “Or we're all dead.”

Jack stared at Woodes, eyes wide and dark, trying to assemble what he had just been told. He got up and walked around in the room, trying to ignore that blue gaze that followed him and made reflecting quite difficult. He couldn't believe that the exchange was common knowledge to the point of the Spanish knowing about it. They had been careful, very careful, but apparently not careful enough. Finally stopping, he locked eyes with Woodes and asked “Spain knows about the exchanges?” He had to make sure he had heard the other man right, that it wasn't just a story to sway him. But the governor's eyes told him everything he needed to know, there had been a fuck-up somewhere and there were spies around.

It wasn't hard to see the pirate Captain before him was distraught by the news, and Woodes felt a little ping of satisfaction, as childish as it was, that he wasn't the only one anymore to have something to worry about. Because this clearly put the ball into Rackham's court, and he didn't have much choice on this “They do, and they are displeased.”

Jack took his glass, he was in dire need of a refill “How do you know they know?” Not receiving an answer he gazed back at Woodes and then gave up to get one, it didn't really matter anyway, they knew, they knew, how and why didn't really change anything. One thing was clear though, Rogers did not see him as a partner, and didn't see the use in giving him all the details. That was something Jack hated when confronted with a problem, unfamiliar 'partners' who didn't see him as an equal, and in this particular case there probably weren't many ways to weasel a response at of the other man. He'd have to do with what he knew, and what he believed it all entailed “So what does that imply? Return it all or it is the Rosario raid all over again?”

“Something like that,” it had shattered Rogers' mood too when he had first heard about the damned gold that Spain now claimed back. He had known about the 'Urca incident', secretly pleased the Spanish had been dealt a defeat that size, very very pleased, but when he finally ended up confronted on a personal level with the problem, it had stopped to amuse him. Then, when Hornigold and his men arrived, informing him it had been found, he had shed the worries, Max's offer of that impossible dowry making it seem as if all his troubles were finally paying off. Only to have that shattered again with the 'Urca incident', another repeat added when Rackham and Bonny's part unravelled. It was all a mess, one he would love to end differently but simply lacked any possibility to do so.

“I understand why you did it... I know what it is to lose everything and to feel powerless to do anything about it. The temptation to keep something to show for it all, I understand it,” oh yes he did, better than anyone, but Rackham would have to find something else or their little world would soon burn “But it does not change the reality we face. That you face...” Woodes let his words sink in and then added, his tone colder and with a dangerous edge to it “For I assure you, if Spain invades over this, yours will be the first face they see.” He would chain Rackham to a pole on the beach for the Spanish to rip into pieces the second they landed, not before having tortured the man to an inch of his life though, for having brought that situation upon them.

Jack blinked and then served himself another drink, that discussion was really making him thirsty and again, he kicked himself mentally for having come back to get that pardon. To be able of keeping his name. “I heard Henry Avery's name when I was a boy, heard the way people spoke it... Grown men in awe of it...” the good old times, when things were still going their way in Nassau “I came to this place so determined to do the same... That's not going to happen the way I thought it was, is it?”

Woodes could see a bit of himself in Jack, or of Jack in him, what drove men like them, at that moment it didn't matter. The need to show the world what he was capable of and prove all the nay-sayers wrong, prove it to himself, and why not, go down in history, was a fickle bitch. There, in that room, compassion mingled with spite and remembrance as he softly said “It never does.” He knew what he was talking about, all the ups and downs in his life, the losses he had suffered in secret and public, pretending he didn't care and stood over it all. “My advice,” Woodes got up and went to lean casually against his desk “You want some say in how they speak of you? Write a book.”

Jack snorted half-amused and half in despair as Woodes continued “Right now, what do you want to do?”

It truly wasn't a difficult decision to take, no matter how friendly and charming the new governor acted, it didn't change the fact that they stood on different sides in a war that was far from decided, and now Jack had the possibility to get a hit, it would be a pity if he let this kind of opportunity go unused. “Do you have a pen?”

Woodes hadn't thought he could persuade Rackham this fast, but after seeing him nod and hear him say “You asked what I wanted to do... Simple, I want to get things in motion, wouldn't want to lose the bit of credit my name still has,” he felt a good portion of his anxiety evaporate, leaving relief paired with incredibility in its wake.

Pointing towards his desk, he watched Jack approach and sit down in his chair, earning himself raised eyebrows and an eye-rolling from the governor. “Make sure your partner understands the importance of it all and complies, because you will stay our _estimated_ guest while we wait for the cache, Jack...” Woodes cocked his head “Can I call you Jack?”

Jack looked up from the letter he was writing, shrugging “Sure, you just striped everything away from me, guess that makes us intimate enough to be on a first-name basis...”

Woodes shook his head, chuckling softly “Certainly I have not taken _everything_ from you,” he pushed himself up from his spot on the desk and then went and refilled his own glass. He wasn't much of a drinker, but since it looked as if things were working out, a second drink wouldn't be amiss. “You still have your life...” he added with a little laughter “And your name...”

“Very funny, _Woodes_ ,” Jack looked up and smirked while he folded the message for Anne, to not give them the cache, but that was something no one could decipher between the lines, no one but Anne Bonny. “Here, this should tell her everything she needs to know... Will solve all our problems.”

Rogers contemplated the letter and then Jack, not trusting this completely but in no position to refuse or become paranoid. Lieutenant Hersey would have to deal with whatever would occur, and he was certain the man would manage whatever Anne would throw his way. “I hope this is what you say it is... In the meantime, make yourself at home,” he left the room, instructing a guard to keep watch and was immediately jumped by Eleanor “And?”

Waving the letter he made his way downstairs “He has agreed to cooperate, one man goes into the interior to deliver this, instructions written in his hand to his partner to return to Nassau and surrender the cache. He said she may be wary, asked there be only one messenger to deliver the letter.” He handed it to a guard with the order to take it to Hersey and then went to locate the meeting point on a map.

Eleanor found this outcome strange, the Rackham she knew was a lot more sleazy and stubborn, but Woodes confidence in the matter silenced the little warning voice in her head that spoke of lies and deception. “He should be made aware Anne will not be taken lightly.”

“Well,” Woodes looked up from the map, head cocked “neither will Lieutenant Hersey.”

They got interrupted by Max, not the most amused about Rackham's arrest, but this was what he had Eleanor for, so he left them alone and went to give some final instructions to Hersey and the men who would accompany him part of the way. Watching them leave, he exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, enjoying the sun on his face for a moment and that sentiment of victory. This had to work, it just had, and then they could all go back to their most pressing business, namely getting Nassau tamed. A look around told him that there was still much work to do, and that was just the visible part, he had to win the people for himself, and that would prove a delicate matter.

“You think it will work, my Lord?” ripped out of his contemplation, Woodes shrugged “I sincerely hope so, Lieutenant Utley, because if not, then we'll be in deep shit.” Utley chuckled at his choice of wording and Rogers patted his shoulder, a little amused smirk on his lips “Don't laugh, this is...” he wasn't sure what it was, what he knew though was that it was far from easy “this is a lot more difficult than I had envisioned it. We have enough problems not to be forced to have dealings with the Spanish. And god knows how much I hate them and having to abide by their demands.”

“If Anne Bonny brings us back the cache, they should be appeased, no?”

“Yes, if she does, then I may have one less problem. Not that it solves them all.” Woodes sighed deeply “I just hope I have not missed anything.”

What he had missed and would have saved a life, was the haughty and self-content smirk Jack's face harboured as he served himself another glass when he had left the room. A Jack quite happy with himself and his deception, and this duel he had started. He wouldn't let that prick win, he wouldn't go down so easy, and it was better to have Nassau razed down and rebuilt than having to live under English rule.

It was something Max immediately registered while talking to Jack, the way he was grinning, happy and content, like a cat that had gotten both the milk and the mouse, but unfortunately it was too late then. Not for Anne who had masterly taken care of the officer who had been send to her, and Max understood why Jack had done it, only that it was something that was crossing with her plans and she couldn't tolerate that anymore. When she finally found the governor, the news had spread and the deed was done, leaving one pissed off Woodes Rogers in its wake, who made people get out of the way as he passed them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings Reader, if you made it this far I hope you enjoyed your short journey, and why not leave some "Constructive Criticism", "Flaming" or your "Reflecting" for this little author. We all love Feedback :)


	3. 02 - ...Reflections

In hindsight, Woodes should have known it wouldn't be this easy. The fact that he had send a good man to his death hurt but he was as pissed at himself as Jack for the outcome of it all. That did not mean he wouldn't make sure Rackham would have some time to think about what he had done in a place a lot less nicer than his private office. Opening the door, his eyes zoomed on Jack who jumped up and lifted his hands, immediately noticing the aura of anger and displeasure radiating off the man “Now wait, I...”

“You got one of my men killed with your little scheme,” Woodes was on Rackham in a heart-beat but only grabbed him by the throat, squeezing hard and ignoring the punches and scratches to his wrist and chest “I won't give you another victory by beating you to a pulp, as tempting as that may feel right now... But you'll have some time to reflect upon whom exactly you just started a war with, Captain Rackham, I promise you, you messed with the wrong man. You'll understand that soon enough.” He pushed him into the arms of his soldiers “Take him to a cell.”

Max and Eleanor watched him being taken away, Jack laughing and feeling pretty proud of himself. This round was his, and the next ones would be too, because there was no way they could get their hands on the cache and killing him in anger, to prove a point would do such, but also piss many off. He had the governor in quite an impossible position, and what were a few days locked up in a cell. He had had worse, and this time, it would show all of Nassau that Captain Jack Rackham was not one to be trifled with. That he could go head to head with Flint, Vane and Silver, just as much an accomplished pirate as them.

 

While Jack got acquainted with his new 'home', Max and Eleanor did their best to reassure Woodes that there was still a chance at getting their hands on the cache, without losing all of the street and any credit he had earned himself, in the process. He could feel their eyes resting on him, but it took him a moment to sort through his thoughts while he contemplated the movement on the streets, people running around and going about their business. The hardest was to keep them happy, to have them embrace the law and order that had come back to New Providence island. And he had felt he had been on the right track, to lose it now was just not admissible. Not because of a Jack Rackham who wanted to wage a personal war against him, who turned days that started on mediocre bases, then turned better, into a fucking nightmare.

“Earlier today, before we knew Rackham was still on the island, you seemed confident that we could locate him and his friend in time. You said it was possible because they didn't know that we were looking for them,” he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as he turned around to face them “Why do I get the feeling, now that they know, now that they have made it their personal crusade to see this regime fail, that your estimate will be far less optimistic.”

“The militia will help...” Eleanor cringed, this situation was far from what she had expected, and Rackham starting personal wars with her best chance at living a free life, far from England and judges, courts and gallows, that couldn't be tolerated. Not to mention that she had plans for and with Woodes Rogers and wanted his life and his mission to run as smoothly as possible, else she be sitting with him on a ship bound back to England. “I will keep the pressure up, and perhaps we'll get lucky...” 

“Lucky huh,” Woodes voice was dripping with sarcasm making Eleanor swallow hard, her eyes darting to Max who stood there silent and seemingly ready to either bold out of the room or start strategies to remedy to their problems. It was good to know she wasn't alone in this, but she needed more. Her plans had merit and she was certain the militia could make sure things wouldn't escalate, the only one who could do something substantial though, was Woodes. “But if we don't, then you may have to be prepared...”

Woodes' snorted “Oh, I am prepared to do anything, _anything_...” eyes locking with Eleanor's, who could read in them that there wasn't much that man wasn't ready to do to achieve his goals. “Anne Bonny must be found, the cache must be found... Right now, that is all that matters.” He exhaled deeply, idly fiddling with some papers on his desk “And that said, the goodwill that we have engendered among the people of Nassau is not without limits. The longer this drags out, the riskier it becomes,” his eyes darted from the desk to Max and Eleanor “Because if I find the money only to lose the street...” 

Max interrupted him, shaking her head with conviction “You will not... If you have me, then you have the street. I am all the reassurance they need.” Jack and Anne had brought this on themselves, fuck them and their petty attempt to drive out the English by letting Nassau get destroyed by the Spanish felt like a personal offence to her. Seeing Woodes sceptical gaze linger on her, she sighed “Yes, Jack and Anne were my partners, my friends...” looking over at Eleanor she added “More even... But now they have made themselves something else to me. I have sacrificed too much to build something here. I will not let them take it away.”

Woodes found Max to sound convincing, but then Jack had been very convincing too, so his trust was at the lowest possible level. And that wouldn't change any time soon. Even with Max telling him “I will find a way to contact Anne and explain to her that she is on a fool's errant. Compromising the safety not only of Jack Rackham, but of all of Nassau as well.”

Eleanor snorted “And you think that she will care about Nassau? About Jack's fate yes, but not Nassau.”

“We have Jack, I will use him to pressure her,” seeing Eleanor frown, Max decided to call it a night, there wasn't much they could get done right now, and she needed to send messengers out for Anne, not have another hour-long discussion with Eleanor. Bowing her head politely to Woodes, she gave him a little smile “I will keep you informed, my Lord... I will immediately send someone to locate Anne, she trusts me, she used to, but I believe I could sway her.”

“Very well, there isn't much we can get done here, I will await your successful recovering of Anne Bonny,” Woodes' gaze made Max feel uneasy, the man was waiting for results so she couldn't fail. She didn't want to fail, she had to get the cache to the governor, but it put pressure on her “My Lord... Eleanor...” Max left them and Eleanor shook her head, her face grave “I am not sure this will...”

Woodes stopped her with a raised hand as he discarded his coats and then let himself drop in his chair “No more, Eleanor... This cannot be solved tonight, so I want to give my mind a few hours of respite. Think of other subjects than Rackham, Bonny and that cursed gold.”

Softly laughing “I think we all are in dire need of a change in prerogatives, if only for one night,” Eleanor approached Woodes who was in the process of removing his boots, and took his coats to hang them properly up, failing to see the narrowing of his eyes as she did so. Woodes wasn't blind or dense, in the past months that woman had tried to sleaze and worm herself into his life and his bed, knowing fair well he was married and father of three of children. His marriage was basically over, he couldn't even remember when he had last spoken to Sarah, that didn't mean he would easily let himself get caught in adultery and offer her a chance to utterly demolish him and his reputation. Not that Eleanor did not have a certain appeal, especially the way she was subtly and not so subtly throwing herself at him, and she was attractive, but he had seen the looks they received and knew his men didn't understand why he offered her his trust and his company. 

And with all he had on his mind and on his plate, getting called out for getting laid was not on his immediate schedule, so when she came back to his side, hands laying on his shoulders and starting a massage, he stood up. The small smile he offered her was almost genuine, if the situation was another, this could very well be the moment she could sway him, but right now it seemed like the worst thing to do. No matter how good it would do to him to lose himself in something other than bureaucratic and military nightmares. “I think we should call it a night, Miss Guthrie... We have all had a long day and have an even longer one before us.”

Eleanor was torn on whether she should insist, Woodes definitely did not give the impression not to be interested, or give it more time. She wanted him, and not only to cement their alliance and fortify her position and station. He was a little like a civilized and educated Vane, someone who would help her solidify her presence in Nassau, give her a legitimation other than the past, not only here but also in England. And just like Vane he was stubborn and dangerous, she had witnessed it often enough on their journey over the Atlantic. For now it would be wisest to let him dictate the pace at which their relationship was evolving so she smiled back and nodded “You are right, the next days will be very trying...” She got ready to leave the room, turning before leaving him alone “I wish you a restful night, my Lord.”

“To you too,” Woodes exhaled deeply as the door closed, half regretting to have given her her leave, but his mind was working into too many directions and he preferred taking his decisions when having given every outcome a thought and not on a whim. And after a long day, with so many reversals of fortune, he needed time to himself. Time to think without another presence looming over and around him, trying to get his attention.

After refreshing himself, splashing his face and neck with water did wonders to him, suddenly feeling a lot better and less sweaty and sticky, he opened the window and let his eyes wander over the streets for the possibly thousandths time, everything so different from England. More colourful, more intense in every sense, if it weren't for the climate he still needed to get used to, this place would be paradise. Minus half the population and the Spanish threat that was. And probably the pirates too, which he included in his little reflection-game in the population-group. 

Voices got carried through the night, the name of Rackham coming to his ears and making Woodes growl. Not even when standing at his window he had a moment's peace so he walked to his bed and sat down before laying down, one arm over his eyes. Rackham... The man who had reduced his chances of a good and easy start in Nassau and was trying to bring a war to his doorstep. Letting their meeting pass through his mind again, he reflected back on the man's words about what he had thought he had learned from his book. It had been spat in his face too spontaneously to have been made up, and he didn't quite know how to feel about the Captain's _“'Wealthy son of a wealthy man takes to the sea, to prove something to the parents – presumably... Seeks adventure, finds the limits of his own capacity... Loses anything in the process... And then stumbles on a hell of a story – in the process...'”_

He couldn't pretend Jack had been completely wrong with his impression, but it had been more than his parents he had wanted to prove himself to. He hadn't exactly been given much choices as to what career would be his, first-born sons rarely had the privilege to choose for themselves, but he hadn't minded much either. What he had minded was how much he had to fight for his position and statute even though his father had their respect. It had taken him some but he had shown them what he was made of living a life he couldn't complain about. He enjoyed spending time on ships, and being a privateer had paid good, especially if you raided other ships while being out on the ocean, no witnesses around to see the deed. It had all been a great adventure, and that he had been seeking it had a lot of truth to it. It grated his nerves a little though that Rackham had spoken about the limits of his capacities and his losses. The death of his brother had changed him forever, had unleashed what had been sleeping deep inside of him and that was not a loss, far from it. It was an awakening which had shaped not only him but also his future and the way people perceived him. Had he used his brother's death in the process, yes, but he wouldn't apologize for having turned a tragedy into a victory. 

Those memories weren't ones Woodes liked to dwell upon, it was in the past and he had avenged all those who had needed avenging and had moved on. He wouldn't let someone like Rackham bring back the past to let it torment him. He pushed himself back up, looking at the window for a moment and then decided that a little drink on the balcony of the manor would be just the right way to finish the day. Not feeling any desire to get dressed again, he grabbed a glass and the carafe of wine and left his room. 

Most people had already retired to their rooms, only a few guards on duty lingering in the hallways to secure the place. The quiet that reigned was just what he needed, no one to pester him with questions, information or bureaucracy, no one to remind him that for now the problems they had outweighed their victories.

 

Stepping out onto the balcony, Woodes' eyes registered movement to his left and startling, ripped out of his day-dreaming, or rather late-night-dreaming, found Peter Chamberlain, the Commodore of his fleet – not that the man seemed to acknowledge that little, but important detail often, too many times he decided things on his own or discussed orders – lounging in a swinging-chair with a glass of wine. Offering him a slightly disapproving gaze after looking him over. Which Woodes couldn't care less about. It was late, he had gone through enough dealings with everything from idiots over imbeciles to straight-out cunts, if he wanted to walk around in just a shirt and breeches, he would do it without the blessing from someone like that man.

“Peter,” using the man's first-name was a little dig and the small snort that accompanied a head-shake and a hand motioning the free chair, only added to Woodes' amusement. “It is good to see you can actually put the day behind you and unwind a little. Seems Nassau has a liberating influence on all of us.”

Peter would have preferred anyone to one Woodes Rogers to lead their expedition, and by anyone he meant anyone, especially since the man was frolicking around with a prisoner, a criminal, a traitor as if it were acceptable, not to mention he had a wife. He had seen Eleanor come out of his rooms earlier, and seeing the governor in an attire reserved for private chambers among proper society, he could easily deduce what had been going on behind those doors. He didn't have proof, but the amount of time the two spend together, the influence he let her have, well, Chamberlain wasn't an idiot. At least he thought he wasn't. And he would be very adamant about his opinion of it all. 

“I saw _Miss Guthrie_ come out of your chambers,” the tone he used and the repeated, discontent once-over Woodes received grated on his nerves, though he still let himself drop into the 'offered' chair, not ready to offer Chamberlain the satisfaction of letting his stupid insinuation rattle him. 

Filling his glass, he put the carafe down on the floor and turned his head towards Chamberlain, cutting short to his childish and petty provocation “I held a short meeting with her and Max, about the solutions to our problem with the cache,” stretching his legs and placing his feet on the railing, Woodes allowed himself to get comfortable, sighing when he managed and then adding “Max will locate Anne Bonny and make sure she understands there is only one course of action for her.”

“You better be careful, word of indiscretions can make it to England easily, this venture of yours did not have the blessing of everyone, news of improper behaviour...” Woodes had heard enough and interrupted him “There are no indiscretions to be made mention of, Commodore.” He looked him in the eyes and with an icy tone added “Not that it would be _any_ of _your_ business if there were, and neither would it be England's, but Miss Guthrie is only an asset I am making use of to achieve our goals, nothing more and nothing less. If you choose to believe otherwise, you are a fool.”

He drank a sip of wine “And I would suggest for you to never bring the subject up again,” a smirk growing on his face, with a threatening edge to it, as he leaned closer to the other man “You do not hear me going around, commenting on your visits to the brothel. With a marriage ring on your finger.”

“That is different, it is Miss Guthrie that is the problem not the act and you know that, so don't you come and try and threaten me. She may be playing tame and docile, and helpful, but she is a criminal, and I do not trust her. It is obvious she has ulterior motives...”

Woodes sighed “Be that as it may, I did not come out here to continue discussing subjects that bother me, so how about we change the subject, hm,” he cocked his head, an insisting glimmer in his eyes, making Chamberlain raise his hands in defeat “Alright, governor, as long as you keep your wits about you, I will let you play your games...”

They spend a moment in silence, Woodes just indulging in it and Peter casting gazes to him from time to time until he asked “So what are your plans with Rackham? After what he did, many would love to see him hang, me in first place.”

Woodes let out a chuckle “Do you wish for me to throw you down this balcony?” indulging in another sip of wine he lay his eyes on the other who gave him the crossest of looks, only making him laugh softly “Commodore, when I say no bothering subjects, why is it that you feel like you have to bring up my most pressing torn in my thigh?” He shook his head “I get that the men want answers, and they'll get them. As for Rackham, if I were to hang him now, we would lose the support of many of the residents of this place. But if he and Anne Bonny were to bring a Spanish fleet to our doorstep, then that would change. If Nassau risks falling, they will look for the one responsible, and as much as they'd wish it were me, the culprit will be those two assholes.” He waved Chamberlain of before he could bring manners and etiquette again “Don't start, I am fed up with them, I can assure you assholes is the nicest I can come up with right now. Not even Teach's stunt angered me as much as Rackham and his little ploy.”

Now it was Chamberlain's turn to laugh “I see we agree at least on one thing tonight, and I mean your eloquent choice of wording and not Teach. I will see him and Vane hung for that fireship,” he stretched himself before asking Woodes “Which brings me to this... I'd like to talk to you about the fort and our defences, not now, don't worry, but maybe some time tomorrow?”

Woodes nodded “I will offer you my full attention,” he finished his wine and then got up “I will see you in the morning, Commodore.”

Peter acquiesced and Woodes walked back to his room, half-a-mind to go back and tell Chamberlain to remove himself from that place. His plan had been to enjoy the night without someone only continuing to aggravate his mood and Peter had expertly crossed that one, but the wine made him feel heavy and exhausted and retiring to bed seemed to be the wisest decision. Not that he had many hopes for finding sleep fast, but at least his body could find some rest. Slipping back into his room, he started preparing for bed and then placed a dagger and a pistol under his pillow as he always did. He may have a guard in front of his door, that didn't mean he would lay his life in the hands of anyone but himself. There were enough people around he couldn't trust, Chamberlain was one of those even though he would probably think it over twice before letting the man he was supposed to protect die or disappear. Sitting down on the bed, he rolled his neck and then discarded his rings, placing them on the bedside-table before snuffing out the last burning candles and laying on his bed. 

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he tried to push any thoughts away, only concentrating on how it felt to finally be completely alone, with no sound disrupting the quiet. It didn't quite work and it took a while before sleep finally claimed him.


	4. ...Deception

The morning found Woodes' mood not really improved, a night of intense reflections and the realization that the problems hadn't even really begun, didn't really make him a man to trifle with as he stepped out into the morning sun and deeply inhaled while rolling his neck. Another day with impossible challenges, boring meetings and incessant demanding of his person lay before him and he couldn't exactly proclaim he was looking forward to it. He called it half a victory that no one had been waiting for him in the hall leading to his room to announce the next nightmare they would have to face. What he had been informed of was that there was still no trace of Anne Bonny, but that did not surprise him, she knew the island a lot better than any of his men and would know where to hide to avoid being found. Max had been seen leaving Nassau, he had officers keeping an eye on everyone _'important'_ in town and nodded at the messenger, his thoughts with Max and her endeavour. If she could make Bonny understand what was on the line if she refused to see to reason, it would go a long way towards securing his grasp on New Providence island.

His moment of peace was over quickly enough though, Commodore Chamberlain arriving and looking as friendly and congenial as usually, namely not at all. It made Woodes grin a little, it couldn't be his attire or Eleanor Guthrie at this moment, and yet Peter looked as if someone had stuck an harpoon up his ass and was dragging him around by it. One of the reasons he had chosen to become a privateer and not a naval officer, they did not know what the word fun meant and if it came to bite them. 

“Commodore,” he bowed his head a little, biting his lip while he tried to suppress a very unbecoming snort that was on the verge of escaping him and would only aggravate whatever differences lay between them. And he needed Peter, as much as he hated it, it was good to have a seasoned strategist at his side, even if their views differed greatly most of the time, knowing at least the military wing was taken care of and in competent hands took one weight of his shoulders. He still had to oversee it, but it wasn't his main concern. Well, this fine morning it was “I see the morning finds you in your usual mood.”

Chamberlain narrowed his eyes at him but had the grace not to start another round of endless discussions about etiquette, behaviour and what was expected of him, and that Woodes was grateful for. “Governor, I see you remembered I needed to talk to you.”

“Of course, even without being reminded of it, amazing, isn't it?”

“If you were so amenable as to join me,” Chamberlain didn't wait for an answer, Woodes following him a little amused and a little curious about what the man's many issues were today.

 

His whole morning was spent inspecting their defences. It had been done when they had first laid anchor, but Chamberlain had found weaknesses he wanted removed. Woodes agreed on most of the issues if only to keep the peace and avoid an exhausting debate, though for him their greatest weakness was still the population. There was no certainty about how many agents the pirates had living in Nassau, secretly giving away information to them. And no amount of assurance by Eleanor or Max would change his scepticism as to his grip on the street.

“Have the wall re-enforced, you know, honestly,” Woodes passed a hand through his hair and shook his head, he had enough of this “I have more pressing matters than being shown every single stone that could potentially become our demise, Commodore. You seem to have a good grip on it all, how about you come and inform me when everything is done.” He waved Chamberlain off as the man got ready to object “In the meantime, it is sustenance I need, so I will go and replenish my batteries. God knows you drained them.” He added a little teasing smile, he didn't mean it as a straight-out offence, but he couldn't shed the impression that this torturous journey through the fort and the town's outskirts was a subtle punishment for not heeding the man's every word. And Woodes would let no one play him like that.

“You are free to join me though, Commodore,” it made Chamberlain frown and cough with indignation “Most certainly not, Governor.”

“Alright,” Woodes walked away and then stopped, turning “But don't you get all high and mighty if you find me dining with Miss Guthrie. If you refuse me your presence,” he offered him a smile that was more taunting than friendly “I shall go and find someone who cannot risk doing such.”

Woodes could have sworn Chamberlain stomped away, a black cloud of discontent all around him. The man needed to relax a little, his insistence of turning Nassau into a model English town was getting bothersome. Even if the island was English, things would still have to be done differently here. 

 

It was in the afternoon when Max came back and informed him that she had been able of making contact with Anne Bonny. He had indeed dined with Eleanor, and she had not needed much convincing, having been looking for him also, when Max arrived in his study. Eleanor and him had been going over the merchants' lists and demands and how it was best to play it with them when Max arrived in his study. He felt like an idiot for not having sent men with her to arrest the woman the second she appeared, but that would not have brought the cache back into his possession, that much he knew. And as far as everyone told him, Anne would not talk under torture, not to mention she wouldn't let herself get caught alive. It would have possibly created more problems than it would have solved.

“She is going to do it,” of that Max was convinced, she knew how close Anne and Jack were, one would never let the other get hurt, that was a truth that nothing could turn a lie. 

“She agreed to make the exchange?” Woodes couldn't quite believe it, it seemed like his meeting with Rackham repeating itself, the promise of returning the cache being made, only to have ulterior motives and play him. “She said that?”

“No, but neither can she bear the idea of Jack's torture,” Max swallowed deeply and continued, making sure Rogers understood that it wouldn't happen in a minute's time “She will resist for a while, it will tear her into pieces. But sooner than later she will acquiesce.”

“How can you know this for certain?” 

“She knows,” Eleanor smiled sadly, she had lost Max to Anne once, she knew it was the truth “She knows.”

Woodes sighed and then shrugged “Alright, let's hope you are both right and this is not another ploy like Rackham's.” Talking of which, he would go and inform the man, taunt him a little and see how he was doing in a moist, disgusting cell. “If you'll excuse me, ladies,” he offered them a smile “I have a prisoner to talk to.”

“You will inform Rackham?”

“Of course, where would the fun be otherwise.”

They both watched Woodes leave, Max looking at Eleanor with a worried gaze “That man is dangerous.”

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, smirking “Yes, and that is why he is the right man for this island.”

“That is not all he is, not to you, is he not?”

Eleanor looked Max in the eyes and saw that she knew that Woodes had grown on her, but she didn't consider it a weakness, not in every sense of the word. It would be difficult, but Nassau had ways of making the impossible work. If she wanted any credit with England, she needed someone at her side who had her ear. And the governor was just that, and he was an interesting and very handsome man, he was a good choice.

 

It probably was best that Woodes did not know the discussion Eleanor and Max held, about him, about Eleanor, about what impression they both gave everyone when being together. One problem the governor was blissfully unaware of for now, but there were enough other problems joining the already existing ones and he got confronted with one of them. He wasn't naïve, he had known that there was a high probability that many of his men would get sick and that event was just occurring, as if he didn't have enough things on his mind, not that it was their fault. He had already passed short of half a dozen men who were looking like death on legs, and the guard posted in the dungeon was the next one to add to that list if he went by the coughing sound that echoed through the narrow hallway.

Woodes' eyes narrowed, the guard standing straighter and trying to convince him he was alright “You are the third man as to say such to me in the last few hours,” he sighed “I'll see you relieved. Please report to Dr. Marcus immediately.”

He waited to have the cell opened and entered, locating his prisoner easily at the back, face turned into the only ray of light in this place “It is almost over, this unfortunate arrangement between you and I”

“What?” Jack turned his head towards the door, eyes locking on the governor who informed him “Contact was made with Anne Bony.” 

Woods looked around before joining Jack further into the cell “The situation was explained to her, that the sooner she returns the cache, the better it would be for you. She was disturbed but, we believe, ultimately persuaded.”

It took a moment to understand all the implications and then anger washed through Jack “Disturbed? You told her I was being tortured.” It seemed just like something despicable a man like Rogers would do, try to sway people's minds with lies and threats.

Woodes approached him, it was obvious Jack was upset, and filled him with an unhealthy amount of glee. It was never nice to be on the receiving end, and he gladly taught Rackham that lesson, after all the man had started their little feud “If the street would hear you were being mistreated, if they were to see you emerge from this place damaged or not at all, I'd risk losing them... I know this...” And it was a mistake he was unwilling to make, the credibility he had on the street was an important factor and he couldn't risk losing the support he had at the moment.  


“I imagine you were counting on it, the notion that all you had left me were bad options guaranteed, ultimately, to serve your ends...” he cocked his head and shrugged, an arrogant air about him “This way no one hears it but her...” And that truly was not much of a problem, as far as he knew she was hiding out somewhere inland, alone and with big decisions to make. Chances she would get word of his scheme were very slim.

“I get what I need, the island survives and no one is harmed...” Woodes was looking forward to be able of putting that whole story behind him and get properly started with building the Nassau he envisioned. “I face a number of dangers ahead in stabilizing Nassau... The one I will resist to the limits of my ability is to allow myself to be cast as its villain...” he gave Jack a sympathetic glance “When the cache is delivered you'll both be free to do as you please.” 

He would prefer stating an example and hanging the man, but that would be the most counter-productive, so he would let them go and forget about this unfortunate incident. Until the next time they would meet, he wouldn't be so lenient then. Leaving Jack to his own devices, he started to leave when his voice stopped him “Do you have a wife”

Woodes looked at Jack questioningly, not quite knowing what to make of that inquiry “Beg pardon”

Jack repeated his question, he wanted to make sure the governor would understand what he had to tell him before he left “Do you have a wife?”

He wasn't sure he could still call Sarah a wife but it was obvious to him Jack was trying to convey a message about his relationship to Anne Bonny and Woodes had to admit he was curious as to what it was, so he acknowledged “I do.”

“How do you imagine she would feel if she were told you were suffering some awful, degrading abuse and that the only way she could end it would be to betray your trust?”

Woodes refrained from telling his prisoner that his wife probably wouldn't lift a finger and cheer his demise, he wasn't certain, but he couldn't even remember when he last spoke to her, it had been years ago that was sure. And her opinion of him most certainly had not changed over time, probably had gotten even worse. Maybe once he had Nassau under control, the Spanish off his back, maybe then she'd call herself his wife again, until then he was as good as a bachelor. And he didn't mind it a bit, his marriage had not been one of love. All those things were nothing he would share with Rackham, so he stayed silent and let the man continue.

“How do you think she would feel if she betrayed you, knowing she likely lost that trust forever, and then learned the whole thing was based on a ruse... And no one was harmed...”

That whole game had not been born on his side, Woodes had a certain understanding for Jack feeling offended, but if he had not started with the monkey business, the situation would be a completely different one. He didn't really know what he could tell the man that he didn't already know. The whole affair was impossible, for all those concerned by it, and Woodes would not apologize for turning to scheming and deception also. Losing was not in his habit, he wouldn't start now.

Jack stared at the man and then snorted “We're all villains in Nassau... Don't think because you're new, you're any different”

Smirking, Woodes had to hand it to Jack, he was partly right, he had done things in his life no good man would ever do, but he doubted that would make him a villain in the truest ways of the meaning. And it certainly had no incidence on Nassau. Exiting the cell, he saw the sick guard still standing there and frowned “Did I not tell you to seek out Dr. Marcus?”

“Yes, my Lord, but I wanted to wait for my relieve to arrive.”

“Go, now,” snipping his fingers at his personal guard “Stay here, I'll send someone to relieve you in a short while.”

“Yes my Lord,” he checked the lock of the door and then leaned against it, Woodes leaving while shaking his head and quickly getting out, in the fresh air, not wanting to be the next to run around coughing, sneezing and risking death.

He came across Hornigold who looked at him quizzically “Problems, my Lord?”

“It seems like it, yes... Have a warehouse emptied and prepare to transfer all the sick men there. It may restrict the disease to a smaller number.”

“My Lord?”

Woodes sighed “My men are dropping one by one, it is something I calculated in, the diseases native to this place being more dangerous to us than those who grew up here or have been here for years.”

“I will see to it at once, my Lord. What did Rackham have to say?”

Looking back direction dungeon, Woodes shook his head and shrugged “Nothing very interesting or important. Oh, have my guard relieved, he replaced the sick one.”

“Will do, my Lord.”

 

Woodes needed a moment to himself, utterly to himself, so he made his way down to the beach, looking at the sea for a long time, his mind idly wandering around everything that was going wrong. It was late afternoon, the sun low and the heat less oppressing as earlier, and he suddenly felt the urge to go and refresh himself in the sea. There was no soul around, two guards who were following him everywhere standing at some distance but not really any of his concern. He dropped his clothes in the sand and then did what he knew Chamberlain would have crisp words about, but right now he was just a man in need of a refreshing dive into the waves. 

And it did some good, nothing but the sound of the wind and the waves, no one nagging him about anything, only the chilling water touching him and washing away the sweat of the day. He stood in the waves, eyes closed and face turned to the sun. He generally preferred staying out of the sun, but right now there was nowhere he would have loved to be more than here on this shore. It was reinvigorating and he wondered why he hadn't found that out earlier. He definitely had to make sure he had a moment to himself during the course of the day, this working at every single minute of the day was hindering his productivity more than it helped it. 

After a few more dives to clear his head, he returned to the beach, discerning someone standing a few paces away from his clothes. Eleanor Guthrie. Staring in his direction. Woodes wasn't sure why he found it amusing, but any other woman would have stayed further away and would have waited, apparently not this one. 

Eleanor knew she shouldn't be standing there, gawking at the man, the very naked man, and the very very enticing man, but she had never been a prude and she wouldn't start now. Especially when it gave her a perfect view of the governor's body. He truly was well built and in shape, and it annoyed her that she hadn't gotten a taste of him yet.

“Miss Guthrie, I see you lost Mrs. Hudson or she would informed you that this is not how we should meet,” he laughed “Is it something important or can it wait for after I am dressed.”

She did her best to keep her eyes to his face and then turned a little away, embarrassed at herself “It can wait... I just came along and saw you...”

Woodes started to get dressed “You come along spontaneously? My my, what a coincidence.”

“Hornigold told me your men were getting sick, I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“So you throw all etiquette out of the window because you worry,” Eleanor interrupted him “Stop, I have been taunted enough today, I don't need you to start with it too.”

“Everything alright on your end?”

“Yes, I can't wait for all the gold to depart for Havana that is all, Rackham and Bonny give me a headache that I could go without...”

“Don't we all,” he smiled while finishing to button up “I instructed Captain Hornigold to turn a warehouse into a sick bay for the foreseeable future.” He could see she didn't quite get what he meant so he supplemented while they made their way back to town “If we had been honest with ourselves, we'd have seen it coming. There is something that I learned, where Chapter one is 'Conquest of a foreign land', Chapter two is always 'Suffer the illness to which the natives are immune.”

Eleanor gave him a worried look and he chuckled bitterly “Those men won't be the last. And many will die. Every man and woman who followed me onto this island will be susceptible to it. And there is nothing we could possibly do to avoid that now. It was an outcome I discarded because it was ultimately irrelevant.” He snorted “Rackham called me a villain earlier, said I shouldn't think that since I was new here I was any better than everyone else.

“Woodes,” noticing the guards following them in the corner of her eye she quickly changed that into an “My Lord, you cannot possibly believe that. There were many risks you discarded. We could have hit an impossible storm to cross on our journey, that did not stop you from coming here and I am sure you gave it a thought too and decided the risk was well worth it.” She added with a little laughter “And one advice, Rackham is not the right man to listen to.”

He couldn't deny that maybe he was not the right man, but he had not been so wrong with it “He is not completely wrong though, in order to do the right thing, I have to do blur the lines a little, and that will make me the villain for some.”

“Does their opinion matter?”

“If it is the street, yes, for now,” they arrived back in town and Woodes was immediately crowded by an officer who informed him that his advisers were needing a moment of his time. 

He smirked at Eleanor “And hence my moment of respite is over. It was nice as long as it lasted,” he looked up into the sky and then at her “I will go and listen to what they have to say, I hope it won't be the next catastrophe in the making.”

“Should I accompany...” he interrupted Eleanor, shaking his head “No, it is best I see them alone.”

Eleanor wasn't happy with that outcome but she couldn't insist too much, there were too many witnesses around “I shall see you later then, my Lord.”

 

Woodes had retired to his chambers after having supper with his advisers, and was in the process of finishing a letter he had been brought when the door opened and Eleanor slipped in. He wondered what she wanted, it was very late and if Chamberlain had seen her again, he would get an ear full. Waiting for her to say something, he noticed some kind of urgency in her eyes as she approached him. He couldn't tell why, but it send his blood straight on a downward trip. He got up “Eleanor, what is...” only to be silenced by her lips on his. 

It took him a moment to realize what was happening, and when he did he stopped her hands on his shirt. He knew this was wrong, they couldn't, shouldn't do this, but it had been in the making for quite some time, and he couldn't remember when he had last gotten laid. He was only a man and right now, it was very hard to resist Eleanor, with her dress dropping to the ground and her hands back on him, insistingly pulling his shirt higher. A shiver ran through him when he finally gave in, her nails raking over his chest. He watched her walk away towards his bed and felt his blood rush through his veins, with Sarah it had always been a matter-of-factly event, with her laying there and him trying to find some pleasure in the act, this promised to become something a lot more interesting, and after the days and weeks he have had, a bit of frivolous fun was not something to dismiss, so he followed her and threw her on the bed. 

 

Woodes couldn't remember when he had been this satisfied after fucking, laying panting on his back with Eleanor draped on his chest. He didn't regret having given in, feeling completely at peace and calm at the moment, his body coming down and a cosy weight settling in his bones.

She rolled off him and let out a little sigh, smiling at the man she had finally seduced into bed while he stretched and dreamingly gazed at the ceiling, Eleanor joining him in his silent contemplation.

A knock interrupted the peaceful atmosphere in the room, Woodes lay there satiated and content, and they couldn't let him dwell in his bubble for more than an hour or two. It was the middle of the night, by all rights, no one should come and bother him. And he knew they wouldn't. Unless it was something grave enough to have no other choice but to disturb him. Whatever happened couldn't have happened at a worse moment, there was no way there would not be even more gossip now, with Eleanor being found in his rooms at an hour where it was the most improper. Rubbing his face, he sat on the edge of the bed, yelling “One moment,” and then turned to Eleanor who sat straight in the bed, no shame about her nudity, but with an expression of slight panic in her face, searching his eyes for an answer on how to react.

“This is not like I had imagined this night, and I am already shuddering at the thought of what has happened again.” Their arrival in Nassau hadn't even been that long but Woodes could swear he had already material enough for three new books, perhaps with the telling title 'Fucked-Up Endeavours' because he could swear it was not normal that any enjoyable moment got interrupted with new bad news. Somewhere along the way he must have been cursed or something. 

Eleanor gave him a little smile, for once not sure what to say. They had been so good and comfortable, she had him where she had wanted him since the beginning, and then the next drama came and brought a cold ending to it. This was not how she had imagined it, on the contrary, she would have been very eager to fuck that man again, but as it seemed, now was not the right moment.

Woodes got up and quickly refreshed a little before he dressed, Eleanor doing the same and then coming up to him, grabbing his face and kissing him deeply. He pushed her gently away, this really was not the moment, and being now wide awake and back in the reality of things, the realization about what they had done came back to slap him in the face. And he wasn't sure how he felt about it all. She had played him nicely, had pushed all the right buttons to get in his bed, but if she believed one second she had him in her pocket, she was severely mistaken.

 

When he opened the door, he was greeted by an officer who apologized for the disturbance, not that it changed anything at the situation, but Woodes didn't want the young man to go and gossip about whom he had found their governor with in the dead of the night, so he patted his shoulder “It is alright, but what is the emergency?”

Biting his lip, the young man stammered, following them outside and to the Inn “There has been a murder... At the Inn...”

Eleanor's stopped, swallowing and not understanding how that could have happened, and then quickly followed after Woodes, worried for him in the process.

Chamberlain gave them both an incredulous look, one that conveyed everything he had told Woodes over and over again and then some more, and the governor knew what this was looking like, him and Eleanor appearing together in the dead of the night. One part, one childish tiny little part in Woodes felt proud about those gazes he received, they had been gossiping about it for long enough, at least now he had pleasure added to the whole affair. Would have been a shame if they had talked about him behind his back about things that were untrue. 

The body was in the process of being removed, and by the account of it there was not much left of the poor man. Not that he had particularly liked Mister Dufresne, but such a death, no one deserved. Staring at the bloodstains and then at the people present “Who did it?”

“They say it was John Silver,” Max had a hard time to keep her raging heart in check and thanked the universe that she had not been present when it all had occurred “They say he speaks for Captain Flint.”

Woodes head snapped to Hornigold who had the decency to look embarrassed, shocked and at his wits end, quickly explaining “No one who was here knew him well enough to identify him. Other than Mr. Dufresne. I swear my Lord, I saw the Walrus sail into a storm she couldn't have made it out, I found debris. I don't understand it all.”

Max took over “Though the identity is in question, the message they left behind was clear,” Woodes motioned for her to continue “They claim Flint will be returning tomorrow east of the bay to take on recruits.”

“Well, if Flint is alive, if he arrives at that beach, I can't have him finding two hundred men waiting there for him... I can't have him find ten men there... The image of any men leaving this place to join him would unsettle the street.”

Hornigold interjected “I'll station men on the beach to...” he wanted Flint laying dead at his feet, and if he had to go after him again, then so be it, but Woodes did not see it that way, waving him off “No, you won't.”

Hornigold didn't want to give himself beat and continued “I'll oversee it myself,” he truly did not see what problem the governor had with his plan. They had to do something, and his men were more than capable to see this through.

Woodes gave it a thought and then sighed “And if Flint doesn't appear? What would that suggest? That I, too, am so weak as to fear a ghost? No, I prefer there be no one there to meet him because no one wants to be there to meet him,” he turned towards Max “Can you help see to that?”

She nodded “Of course, I'll see to it immediately and left them, heading off to inform all of her girls that there was a message that had to be brought amongst the men.

Eleanor was still under shock, it was bad enough that there had been a murder, that it had been Silver, acting in the name of Flint, that was so surreal she had a hard time believing it. But whether it was true or not, they had to make sure to have the right reaction “Max may be able to help matters, but she won't be able to stop all of them from going down there.”

“No, I don't imagine she can,” and why would things be easy for once, for every hour of respite a dozen more problems appeared, he started to wonder if this endeavour of his was built on stable footing.

Eleanor wasn't done yet, she had a plan forming in her head that would make sure they came out of it in a very clean and proper light “But there may be a way that you can prevent the rest of them... Without it looking like we're trying to prevent anything...”

“I am listening,” Woodes hoped that her plan would have merit and listened with attention as Eleanor started “You have to go there” earning herself grunting and whispering in the room.

“Silence, continue,” he could see what she meant and nodded as she said “If you are there, the men will think twice before coming down to the beach... If you go there, offering pardons, then the street won't be able of disagreeing with whatever happens, you proved your word and Flint won't leave with any more men.”

Hornigold snorted “That is a very bad idea, Flint just will shoot you.”

“I don't think so, if we turn the beach into neutral grounds, he won't dare do that or he will be the one losing his credit.” Hornigold threw his hands in the air, not happy but Woodes' “I don't need your approval, Captain Hornigold, not yours and not anybody's” made him forget about anything he wanted to add.

“We will proceed like Eleanor proposed, I'll see you all in the morning,”

He motioned for Eleanor to go on to his room, he wanted to go and make sure they all understood his instructions so everything would be prepared and ready in the morning. And Chamberlain was for once the right man for the job and he knew where to find him since yesterday “Commodore,” he waited for the man to acknowledge him as he stepped out onto the balcony “We have some new developments I fear.”

Chamberlain had a few 'developments' he would have loved to talk about, but a murder in Nassau topped on his lists too “I heard, a murder at the tavern, I see Captain Hornigold's men have a firm grip on everything.”

On that he agreed with Chamberlain, it was not very flattering for Hornigold to not only have mistaken Flint for dead, but to have let the guard down to a point where agents could walk around in all impunity and kill people “They are not the most competent, but they are all we've got. I need you to prepare everything for a parley down on the beach tomorrow morning.”

“You really want to go and meet with Flint?”

“Do I have a choice? It is the best alternative I see, no one will dare coming to the beach with me waiting there, and it will all happen without the use of violence. Believe me, I would prefer a more drastic way too, but we just can't do that.”

“Alright, I will see to it, but you will take guards.”

“Agreed, but not an army of, it will only be a friendly meeting.”

“If Flint comes...”

“Yes, indeed, if he comes... I will see you in the morning,” Woodes quickly left before the man could start with Eleanor again, he wasn't in the mood and had other things on his plate. 

Eleanor was waiting for him in the bed, laying there like temptation impersonated and right now, a freely offered moment of pleasure was not going to be something that he would deny himself. Woodes discarded his clothes and joined her in his bed, decided on spending at least a few more hours busy with something pleasant.


	5. Chapter 04 - ZwischenZug

Woodes had spent the night laying awake, with Eleanor in his arms and preparing himself mentally for the encounter with James Flint, or James McGraw, though he doubted there was much left of the latter in the first. They were inevitably linked, but belonged to two worlds, two realities. And Woodes was starting to understand what may have swayed the man to join the piracy world. The longer he was here in Nassau, the more the influence of England was dimming in his mind, with each and every day he could feel his connection to the Old World swindle and it frightened him on some levels. He had come here with a mission, had not exactly believed it to become easy but slowly the lines he had believed to be immutable were blurring. And all the problems and hardships he was facing were not the only reason for that. 

He disentangled from Eleanor and got out of bed, a sigh escaping him as he served himself a glass of water. It was early morning, the sun was slowly rising and it wouldn't be long before Nassau would be fully awake again. Not that the town ever truly slept. Knowing he wouldn't be able of finding more rest, he washed up and got dressed, Eleanor slowly waking with the noise he was making. He wasn't used to having someone around in his own rooms, and he wasn't all-too-willing to sneak around and be careful, he too found his behaviour a little selfish, but he had other things on his mind, more important things and it happened automatically.

“Good morning,” Eleanor wasn't too content to wake alone in bed, with Woodes already dressed and ready to start the day “Sneaking out on me?”

“Couldn't find any rest,” he offered her a smile “And I've got enough to do today, better get started early.” Especially since it appeared she believed she had a right to an answer and his attention, he had a pirate Captain to meet, a cache to find, another pirate Captain in a cell, his partner on the run, a Commodore that was an utter asshole and he was convinced he could find a dozen more issues that would demand all of his attention. “I'll see you later, feel free to make use of my rooms,” seeing her frown he approached and kissed her “Later.”

“Be careful out there... Flint is not to be underestimated.”

“Trust me, I do not underestimate the good Captain. If he indeed is alive and returns, I'll know how to handle him,” this was not Woodes first 'dance' with a formidable adversary, and it wouldn't be the last. He left his room and went to have breakfast on the balcony, one last moment of quiet, to enjoy the pleasant breeze and sort his thoughts. 

“Governor?” hearing his name he looked down and saw Chamberlain look up. He sighed and went to the railing “Yes, Commodore?”

“The men have prepared everything on the beach and the horses are readied as we speak.” 

It astonished Woodes a little that Peter had no new crisis to report of “Anyone already on the beach or on their way?”

“They did not see anyone, and no ship either. But it is still very early, so that does not mean anything.”

“Agreed...” he nodded at the man “I'll join you in a moment,” and then grabbed the little bowl with the cut fruits and made his way downstairs, indulging in the sweet treat. It would probably remain the only _sweet_ thing about his day, of that he was convinced.

“Replenishing yourself, governor?”

Woodes chuckled while he finished chewing on a piece of pineapple, amused that Chamberlain would use his words from the prior day on him like that. “Indeed, Commodore, I felt like indulging a little before facing a ghost.”

“I heard that is not all you are _indulging_ in,” Woodes eyes hardened “When I come back, I'll open up a few cells for all the chit-chatterers and scandalmongering Commodores. Then you can all spend time together and won't bother those of us who actually spend their time doing something useful.” Woodes wasn't even certain Chamberlain knew about Eleanor spending the night, he had made his disapprobation known last night, so it could still be in relations to that. It didn't matter anyway since Eleanor, having quickly gotten ready and wanting to make a stand, show them all that she was the woman at his side and that her council was to be heeded as much as was his, was making her way through the guards, ignoring several cross looks she received and then stopped next to Woodes. Chamberlain's displeasure was palpable but that didn't stop her from pressing against Woodes' side, acting as if that was her rightful spot. 

Chamberlain snorted and gave Rogers a look that said 'told you so' and 'now you see how you'll get out of this one, I warned you often enough', and Hornigold, who had just joined them too, seemed to wait for a reaction from his part. Woodes had to admit he didn't like what Eleanor was playing at, and yes, he would have to clarify some things with her, but right now his mind was only turning around and about the next hours and not on how to explain to her that she may be a little too eager.

Gently but firmly detaching her from his arm and handing her the bowl – not without another piece disappearing in his mouth – and then motioned for her to take her leave, turning towards his men “Let's go.” He stepped past Chamberlain and told him with an eye-roll “We'll talk later,” receiving an “Oh you can count on that, governor” as an answer. Right now was not the moment for it, his mind was on other things so he mounted the horse that had been readied for him and lead his men out of Nassau without looking back. He had to admit the fact that nothing negative had happened when the tent had been prepared made him anxious. In all honestly, with all the fuck-ups, he had waited for the next one to arrive, and if he were a superstitious man he would say that it all did not bode too well.

 

While Woodes was waiting for Flint, for anyone really to appear, Max sat opposite Eleanor and gave her a disapproving look while nipping on her tea. Not a day ago she had warned her to stay away from Rogers, and what did she do. She did just that, and not only, Max had seen the man's reaction and she wasn't persuaded she should say something to Eleanor, but the survival of Nassau was based on the governor's mission to be successful. If Eleanor thought she could endanger that in any way, she was sorely mistaken.

“Tell me Eleanor, now that you achieved part of your goal, how will you react if the governor does not feel about it as strongly as you?” she could see Eleanor get ready to retort something but didn't give her a chance “You acted like his wife, like one of his generals, imposed yourself, and he gave you a rather cold shoulder for it, no... You cannot possibly be so blind as to not have noticed that,” Eleanor looked a little cross, eyes narrowing at her “There is a lot at stake here Eleanor, he needs to focus his attention on Nassau, on the pirate threat, not you. He is married, is he not? Do you have any idea...”

“They have not seen in years, their marriage is practically over.”

“So they are estranged, he is still someone's husband. And people talk, Eleanor, I warned you about that. And yet you choose to put this venture on even more shaky footing? Many want to see him fail, even amongst his men, they will not see kindly to him,” she raised her hand and waved it around derisory “gallivanting with a criminal. Sooner or later it will fall back on him. Is it really worth that?” Binding herself to a man to take advantage of him, of his fortune or his position was something Max would never lower herself to, but she had seen Eleanor do it and try it repeatedly. It had worked with Vane until it had not worked anymore, and the disaster of their falling out was still palpable everywhere. She had tried it with Flint who had politely refused, something for which Max was grateful. And now she was on the next man-hunt, the prey a predator Eleanor had not seen the depths of. And she feared that the day she would, it would come back to bite her in the ass, permanently. 

“You don't understand.”

“Oh no, on the contrary, I do understand very well. You want to make yourself vital to him achieving his goals, you want him as your husband, to fortify your position and make sure you are not send back to England to meet the fate that was yours, to have his men following your every bidding too,” she laughed softly “I get it Eleanor, I do, but this will not bring you the result you so much desire. For that man, will not divorce his wife to bind himself to you. You are dangerous for his future, for his reputation, and he won't risk that.” She didn't add that she had read many other things in the man since she had first met him, some that had half baffled half bemused her and that Eleanor would have to find out by herself. And they had nothing to do with Eleanor, not with her personally.

Eleanor wasn't dense or naïve, Max's words made sense, but she had seen a different side of Rogers and Max couldn't understand the connection the two had. They were symbiotic, they needed each other to reach their goals. Who weren't that different. “He needs me at his side.”

“Does he know? Has he not already gotten what he needed. The street likes him enough, I have his back, Captain Hornigold,” she snickered “Well he does always follow the strongest player in the house so his loyalty, Woodes most certainly has and will not lose any time soon. You, he needed to make introductions, to explain the inner workings of Nassau to him. He is not stupid, he is learning fast. And your utility may soon run off.”

“Enough,” Eleanor was bristling, she couldn't believe Max dared to speak to her like that “You have no idea about what you are talking, Max.”

Max offered her a sad, yet teasing smile, Eleanor getting up and leaving her office angry and confused, not adding anything. There was nothing to add to that much insolence and misapprehension of a situation. 

 

While Eleanor tried to find something beside Max and her speech to think about, Silver looked through the spyglass, making sure he hadn't missed anything the first time round, when his eyes laid upon something – someone – he couldn't believe his eyes. “What the fuck,” concentrating he could make out the governor sitting at the table under a tent. He handed Flint the spyglass and could hear him chuckle next to him as the man saw the same thing he had seen.

Flint felt like laughing, he had counted with many things, that he would be personally waiting on the beach, now that came as more than a surprise “Really, I thought him capable of a lot, that, is one brilliant move. As long as the good governor sits there, no one will come out... They won't go through the humiliation and the embarrassment of having to wait with him, suffering his judgement and reproach.”

“So what are we going to do now?”

Flint chuckled amused, there wasn't much they could do, and he had to concede that he was a little curious about the governor. This would give him the perfect opportunity to sniff the man out a little on neutral grounds, a man who had been send to do what initially had been his mission and was now becoming a thorn in his thigh “Let the long-boat down.”

Silver's eyes nearly bulged out “Are you for real? I mean Flint come on, you can't believe this to be a good idea.”

James gave Silver a smug look “On the contrary, I want to have a few words with the man, it is so nicely asked after all, how can I refuse him.”

De Groot joined in “Are you sure he'll honour the truce?”

Flint gave it a quick thought, scratching his beard and then nodded “I am. It would ruin all his efforts to gain the crowds if he did not. Those men in Nassau, those who stayed behind and accepted the pardon, they may have forsaken our ways, but they won't accept him going behind his words. Him sitting there with the white flag out, means he won't lift his sword if I don't. And for now, with him having Rackham in his custody, I won't do that.” He hoped Rogers wouldn't provoke him into an irrational and ill-considered move.

Woodes had discerned their sails far out on the horizon too, his heart-beat accelerating for a minute or two as his mind stared reeling. So the message had been real, Flint was back. Well Flint, that could still be a deception, but he found that highly unlikely. The man was like a cat, he had nine lives. While he waited to get company, he prepared himself mentally, reflecting about everything he knew about the man. 

 

Flint jumped out of the long-boat, eyes on the man waiting there for him and already feeling inclined to punch him in the face. He couldn't quite explain why, but the governor was already grating on his nerves and they hadn't even spoken a word to each other. Not that James needed the man to say anything, he knew what this was about, and it was a brilliant, sharp move that would have him forced to revise his tactics. Because no matter how hard the good governor would try to keep the men from joining him, he would find a way to make it happen anyway, but that would be for another time. 

For now he was curious as to what the man had to say, the man who had come here with the same intentions as he had all those years ago. They assessed each other, green eyes on blue ones, as James approached the tent that had been set up, two young soldiers standing guard behind Rogers, probably chosen for their youth, he could keep them easier in check to keep what would be said to themselves. It was something Flint would have done too, if in the man's position. As it were he wasn't, and he was glad, he preferred having Joji with him than subdued and impressionable boys. 

He waited for Rogers to motion for him to sit down but was not ready for the man's next move, bringing up someone he avoided reflecting upon because it brought him too much grief and guilt “Lord Thomas Hamilton.” 

James ground his teeth, the urge to stab Woodes in the throat very present and very pressing, he couldn't understand why the man would start by antagonizing him. There was no chance in the world that he didn't know that Thomas' name would rattle him, and still he brought him up, without so much as a greeting. With that tone, that tone of... He was about to get up and leave the beach, if this was what he wanted to play it like, the war would be on and no parley was needed anymore - not that Flint needed the parley in the first place, he hadn't called for it and wouldn't change his mind – but Rogers continued “I didn't know him, but I understand you did. Miss Guthrie tells me you were part of the first effort with Lord Hamilton and Peter Ashe to introduce the pardons to Nassau.” 

Woodes had noticed James' reaction, he wouldn't have made it this far without being capable of reading people, and even if Flint managed to keep the most of the anger and the surprise in check, there was a little twitch that did not go unnoticed. If it was true he hadn't known Thomas personally, he had heard enough about the scandal when it had occurred to puzzle together his own truth about the matter. It had all been fishy and he was certain there was more to it then was spoken about in society, or whispered even. He wasn't here to gossip though, far from that, he wanted Flint to understand his point and starting with Thomas had seemed like the right entrance into the subject. Even if it was painful for the other to hear, it was even better that way, maybe Flint would give all his actions and moves some thought, remembering how it all had started. And maybe he would see that Woodes had just taken over what his dream had been. “As with most things, the men first into the breach, suffer the greatest casualties. But in hindsight of victory, they were the ones whose sacrifice made it possible,” he sighed softly, gazing at James “Without Lord Hamilton's efforts, your efforts, it's likely I wouldn't have been successful in my efforts to finally secure the pardon. All I have done here, is finish what you began...” Sitting up straighter, he finished “I am now what you were then, and without you, there would be no me.”

Flint wanted to applaud him for his clever speech, probably had taken him some time to come up with it too, but he couldn't hold him entirely at fault for it seeming so predictable. It was in some sense true that they had both had the same plans for Nassau, Thomas and him laying the ground stones, only that James had seen reason and found something more to fight for than an unforgiven and ungrateful empire. “Clever,” it truly was, only it would not bring Woodes any further, on the contrary. 

Woodes could see that the other wasn't impressed, the sarcasm in his voice did not elude him, but two could play that game so he replied, just as arrogantly amused “Thank you.”

They both snorted at each other, “So this is what this is...” James waved around “We're all reasonable men, we all want the same thing. You offer me a pardon, I accept it, this all ends?”

Aboard the Walrus, the atmosphere was as a loaded as on the beach, Billie asking Silver who kept a watch on the proceedings what was going on. “For now not much, they sit there and talk,” he was intently studying Rogers, the man whose bubble he had burst by finally eliminating Dufresne. He couldn't exactly pretend it hadn't satisfied him tremendously. That bastard had gotten the end he had deserved. As would the man speaking with Flint if he didn't remove himself from his path. 

De Groot sighed dejectedly “I don't know what this is supposed to achieve. No one here believes a second that the governor will pack his shit and leave. Flint does not believe that. Why even risk getting caught.”

“Rogers won't have him arrested, he can't do that,” Billie squinted his eyes but couldn't discern anything more than the shore “Flint was right, if he does, he'll have a riot on his hands.” And if that happened, they were too far away to immediately intervene. Not that he worried too much, Flint was more than able of looking out for himself, and he had the biggest asset he could with him, Joji.

On the beach, Woodes shrugged, he found he had been very sensible since arriving in Nassau. He had pardoned men he would have preferred swinging from the gallows and yet he had freed them of all of their misdeeds “Maybe... Pardons are on the table, no one is being hanged, no one is even being tried. They've all been forgiven, just as you wanted. Just as Thomas Hamilton wanted. So what is it that you are fighting for, that I am not already offering?”

That was where Rogers had it all wrong and didn't even begin to grasp the essence of what Thomas had wanted, more than just pardons, they had been nothing but a means to a higher end for him “Thomas Hamilton fought to introduce the pardons to make a point. To seek to change England. And he was killed for it. His wife and I went to Charles Town to argue for the pardons, to make peace with England, and she was killed for it.”

Woodes had heard of the massacre of Charles Town, but he now wondered if all the accounts had been true, he had had his doubts, and they seemed to be confirmed. Not that it astonished him much, it was like with everything, this meeting would suffer the same fate and would end up twisted, changed and embellished. Not by him, and probably not by the man sitting opposite of him, but their men would gladly use it to make their evenings more entertaining. “I am sorry to hear that, believe me I...”

Flint interrupted him, no matter how genuine he sounded “I don't care, not about you and certainly not about England... England has shown herself to me, gnarled and grey, and spiteful of anyone who would find happiness under her rule. I'm through seeking anything from England except her departure from my island.”

Woodes could not say it amazed him much, but it was a bold demand and he most certainly would not comply to it. New Providence was his island now, was England's, he wouldn't give it up without a fight “It was England's island first, I don't imagine she's going to let it go easy.”

“I don't imagine she would,” Flint had never imagined Woodes to be ready to load up his people and leave, he wanted him informed that he would not give up so easily, that the war was just beginning and that he would not let him turn Nassau into the colony England so much desired.

Woodes could see the determination in Flint's eyes and knew there was nothing more he could say to change his mind, the man was set on capturing his island back, no matter the cost “I see. So there we are then.”

Exhaling deeply, Flint agreed with his perception of things, there they were indeed, two men the crown had send to Nassau to tame her, facing each other off now. He had always known it would one day come to this, England sending someone to take over, to bring order and law back. The man before him was a surprise though, and he wasn't yet certain he was happy about it. “There we are, then”

How Flint could renounce any reason and take a decision that would influence the lives of all his men was incomprehensible to Woodes. Granted, he had not counted with Flint accepting the pardons, but he had imagined the man to be a little more cooperative and reasonable. “What a story you will have to spin to your men to turn me into the kind of villain worth losing their lives over.”

James chuckled, that was one thing that would be very easy “I've lived on the other side of those stories, I am sure I'll figure something out.”

“I'm sure you will... Then let us be very clear about something. I am reasonable in seeking peace, but if you insist upon making me your villain, I'll play the part,” Woodes glared at Flint, he was done playing nice, if the other wanted to be uncooperative, so be it “So let us assume that, as of this moment, the unqualified pardon is no more. From this moment on, any man participating in the act of high seas piracy will be presumed one of your men, an enemy of the state... I will hunt him, I will catch him, and I will hang him.”

The wolf was finally left out of the cage it had been hiding in, it made Flint stare back coldly with a little evil grin just hinting at how much he enjoyed himself right now. He had to hand it to the man, he had been calm and in control until now, but apparently it was time to show his true colours, the animal under all that well-mannered and well-dressed exterior. 

“And while I am aware of your feelings on the subject, I am no backwater magistrate cowering in fear of you. You know where to find me.”

Flint snorted, one day he would find Rogers, and then they would see whom of the two would prevail, who would call Nassau his, until then he would try to find out more about him, because there was definitely more to Woodes Rogers than he let on. He looked at the other, his eyes conveying the depth of his message since he had nothing more to say to the man, while he waved at the island “Enjoy it while it lasts, _governor_.”

Woodes eyes narrowed, burning into Flint's back as he walked away, back towards the long-boat. The nerve the man had, he would have loved to call him back and challenge him for a duel. He couldn't really do that though and it enraged him. A third war he would have to fight, a third problem to add to the already exhaustive list of problems he was facing. The Spanish, Rackham and Bonny and now Flint and his pirate fleet. He wasn't sure the man was allied with Teach, but if they came to join forces, things would start to look a lot bleaker. 

Flint got back to the Walrus, inwardly seething like he hadn't in a long time. Maybe when facing Teach, but no, this was even worse. Rogers came to his island, and thought he would have nothing to say about it. Bringing up Thomas and ripping off the scab of that wound, making him realize all the things he had lost. And the time that had passed since it had happened. It felt like a life-time ago and yesterday, all in on. Jumping on deck, he pushed all those thoughts away and smirked “We're both still alive, but that is the only good news I fear...”

Silver frowned, looking back at shore “So what will happen now?”

“Now, the games begin... We'll let him think we're gone and will come back later.”

 

Woodes kept staring at the waves long after Flint had gone, not able of shedding the impression that this had not been the last time he's had business with the man. He would do anything to drive him out of Nassau, of that he was sure, and even if there had been no men on the beach to leave with Flint, Woodes wasn't an idiot, he knew there was a certain number amongst the population of Nassau who would do their best to find another way to join the other side. Drumming his fingers on the table, he inhaled deeply and then pushed himself up, why waste more time here idly day-dreaming, he had more pressing matters waiting for him back in town. 

When he arrived back, Chamberlain was already waiting for him, taking the reigns while Woodes dismounted, grumbling “It actually went as I expected, no compromise, everyone stands on his side and the war is on.” 

Chamberlain frowned “So what will we...”

“We'll hunt every pirate we can find, we try them and then we hang them. I took the pardons off the table, I suppose that lightens up your mood a little, Commodore.”

“I admit, yes, I was getting sick of seeing them go free.”

That had been quite obvious, but it had been the right thing to do, to ease off any belligerence of the street. Now things have changed, and between Rackham and Bonny and their ploy, and Flint, no one could call him the unreasonable one for fighting back.

A guard interrupted them “My Lord, Captain Hornigold would wish to have a word with you, in private, when you've got the time,” Woodes couldn't even begin to imagine what that man wanted from him now, but he didn't have anything planned and he had learned that in Nassau you better took care of problems as fast as they arose. 

“Captain Hornigold, I was informed you wanted to see me, what can I help you with?” Woodes was curious, the man looked a bit contrived and that could not predict anything pleasant.

“Eleanor Guthrie,” seeing Woodes pinch the bridge of his nose, with a pained expression on his face was a reaction that made him ponder a fast retreat, but he wanted the man to be in the possession of every little detail about her before he committed a grave mistake. A mistake that would be dangerous for all of them. 

“You must be jesting, right?” Woodes was very short of shooting the man in the face, be done with him “I know you dislike her tremendously, but that is no reason for you to forget all propriety and get involved in things that are none of your business. I already told you that I did not care what the both of you thought of each other, I am most sure I did not give you any reason to believe otherwise.”

“Governor, I have seen her corrupt Vane, it was not the other way around, or maybe it was mutual, but I can assure you she had that man doing her every biding. Up to beheading another pirate for offending and challenging her. And then she tried that game with Flint but did not succeed. And now I see her do the same thing with you,” Woodes' raised eyebrows and the dangerous glimmer that invaded his eyes only stopped him momentarily before he continued “I apologize for overstepping boundaries, but I see you as the first real chance for this island in a long time, and I do not wish to see that ruined by that woman and her meddling, manipulative ways.”

“And by telling me this, how are you not meddling and manipulating?”

Hornigold wouldn't call what he was at present doing meddling or manipulating, rather he would call it informing, warning, finally dragging that awful Guthrie woman into the light and pointing out all her misdeeds “I am only warning you that no matter what it looks like, you are just a means to an end for her. She only cares for herself, as long as you can help her, she'll be standing loyal at your side, but the day your use has run out, you better watch you back. I've seen it happen before.” The hick-hack with Vane, one day removing all power from him by taking his ship and his crew, the next back into the man's arms, if he could avoid a repetition of that, he'd gladly suffer the governor's wrath for meddling with his business. 

“From the moment I entered her cell in London, she has been helping me in acquiring information and status with the people here in Nassau, Captain Hornigold. Does she have ulterior motives? Of course she does, she has only two options left, helping me or swinging from the gallows, so I would presume her to play her cards so she ensures her survival.” He had enough with the discussion and got up, ready to leave but then stopped, giving Hornigold a gaze that conveyed a lot of messages and made the older man swallow hard “Oh and Captain Hornigold, has it ever occurred to you that maybe _I_ was the first one who had ulterior motives? That I am the one leading in our dance?”

Hornigold swallowed again dumbfounded, of course he had given it a thought, but he had seen how she had looked at him, how she had carefully woven her approach, and he had always seen Woodes respond as if he truly enjoyed it, as if he was falling for it, smitten with her. If the man was able of hiding his intentions that well, under a perfectly crafted mask, over a longer period of time, he didn't even want to know what that ultimately meant. If that truly was the case, the man who had just left the room was even more dangerous than Flint, Silver and Vane combined and he was glad they fought on the same side. 

 

It was in the afternoon when Max rushed into his study, a content expression on her face and not giving him time to place a word “My Lord, I have received a message from Anne Bonny. She is willing to make the exchange.”

Woodes eyes widened “And that is certain?”

“Yes, she send a location and a time, tomorrow midday.”

Exhaling deeply “That is the best news I received today. I do not dare to feast yet, but hope is back,” but only hope, and he would not be so injudicious as to believe the cache-affair to be over. Not until he held it in his possession. “I assume you have already given the details to my men?”

“Commodore Chamberlain is in possession of the letter, yes.”

“Good, if this works, I owe you a great load of gratitude... Not to mention that you girls have worked their magic with the men, as I was told not many contemplated joining Flint.

“Thank you, my Lord.” Would she prefer being the one to dictate everything in Nassau, yes, but the man sitting at that desk was a good substitution, and he had England's ear, something she could never get. Helping him to achieve his goals was ultimately helping herself. 

Woodes waited for her to leave and then took a stroll through the manor, finding Chamberlain hoovering over maps. “What about the location she gave us?”

“Inlands, open space, will make it difficult for an ambush.”

“Good,” Chamberlain raised his eyebrows at Woodes who supplemented “I gave them their pardon, I do not want her ambushed Commodore. And I do not want her to ambush us, so this is alright with me.”

“You will make the exchange?”

“Of course, once we have the cache the two can go and do as they please as I promised, until the next time we cross paths,” he shook his head when Chamberlain wanted to complain “The street won't see me go behind my word.” There was nothing more he had to tell the man and left him to his devices, someone else needing to be apprised by the chain of events.

 

Jack was sitting in the same spot he had the prior day, looking at him over his shoulder “Aw, you just scared my new friend away.”

Woodes chuckled, entertained by the notion that Rackham would have discussions with a rat “I am not sure I feel inclined to apologize to a rat.”

“Oh you should, rats are very smart animals.”

The mere notion was hilarious, but he hadn't come to dungeon to discuss the critters that inhabited it's dark corners “Of course... I have not come to talk about vermin though, Anne Bonny is willing to give up the cache for your safe return. You will be out of here by tomorrow midday.”

Jack stared at him shocked, Anne wouldn't do that, she couldn't do that, and yet he believed the governor “That is most unfortunate.”

After their last talk, Woodes had understood that Rackham would rather sacrifice himself then their 'cause', that the news of the restoration of the missing gold from the Urca that had been his would not please the man too much did not come as a surprise. “I am sure the two of you will be alright, and then this most annoying affair is over and everyone can concentrate on other matters.”

“Like a game of chess? Off to the next move?” 

A peculiar thought crossed Woodes' mind “Do you play chess?”

Rackham snorted “Yes, although I suppose that must come as a surprise to you, a criminal with the ability to move pawns on a board.”

Woodes contemplated Jack for a moment and then went to knock on the door and informed the guard when it opened “Have a table, two chairs and a chessboard brought down here,” the guard stared at him with the funniest of expressions and Woodes smiled at him “And add wine and fruits to that. That would be all.” He closed the door again before the man could react.

“Really? A game of chess? Are you so bored that you need your prisoners to entertain you? Or does no one want to play with Woodes Rogers?”

“No, not really, but I have a few more questions and why not ask them while having a more casual setting.”

“Casual? In this cell?”

“A bit of imagination please, you are still my prisoner, you still pissed me off, so this is the perfect residence for you.”

Jack pondered the other man a moment and then asked “You're hiding down here?” adding with a laugh “Priceless, no one will believe me... I know that feeling though, I usually hid on the toilet when I wanted to get a moment of peace.”

Woodes pulled an amused face, chuckling “Nice,” it was annoying him a little that Jack had been so quick as to guess the reason for his presence down here, not that it really mattered. “I may indeed be seeking a moment away from everyone, but that is not all. Hornigold. And Miss Guthrie,” Jack didn't give him the impression he understood what he meant so he clarified “How were their relations? I mean he gave her up to England, so I suppose there must not be a lot of love lost between them.”

Jack leaned against the wall, arms crossed and playing with his moustache “You have come here to get the latest gossip? Sorry, governor, I am not exactly privy to the juiciest scandals right now.”

“I said were, Captain Rackham, before he send her to h...” a knock and the opening of the door interrupted him, two soldiers carrying in what he had asked for. He waited for them to put everything up and then nodded his thanks “That is all. Thank you, gentlemen.”

“Gentlemen?” Jack raised his eyebrows and Woodes laughed “They sailed with me a long time ago, so when it was time to put together my crew for my journey, I recruited them. I trust them implicitly.”

Jack moved the chair and sat down, it would do some good to have his ass of the cold and moist floor “You surround yourself with friends, a man should do that. Friends are important.”

Joining Jack at the table, Woodes watched him place the pieces “Like Anne Bonny?”

“Anne is more than just a friend, more than lover. She completes me. And there's Vane, Charles is like a brother to me, and to her... Guess you could call us triplets.”

“And Flint? I met the man today.”

Quirking a brow, Jack couldn't hide his bewilderment at that development. He was looking forward to be informed how that had come to pass “Really?”

Woodes nodded, turning the board so Jack would play with the white pawns, he wouldn't let the man say he tried to cheat or anything, if he won it would be my merit. “Yes, he was unreasonable and stubborn.”

Jack snorted at the offering to start the game but let it slip, Flint was more interesting than some teasing “That is James Flint as I know him. He is a great Captain and tactician though. Not to be underestimated. But how did you meet, if that is not too much to ask.”

The details of how that meeting came to be would become known knowledge by the next day, so Woodes didn't really see any use in denying him an answer “Last night, Mr. Dufresne found an untimely death by the hands, or rather the foot of one John Silver, who had come to Nassau to inform everyone that Flint would be coming back to recruit more men, I went there to discourage them from joining him.”

“Cunning.”

“Thank you, yours will be the last pardons offered, Flint's unwillingness to see to reason does not leave me any other choice.”

“So all bets are off from now on,” Jack moved another pawn and then smirked “Checkmate Governor.”

Analysing his possibilities, Woodes nodded amused at the other's beaming grin and his own loss while dropping his king “All bets are off, yes, and apparently you play better than I gave you credit for.”

“I love to surprise people,” he served himself some wine, offering some to Woodes who politely declined “To be underestimated is an incredible gift, Governor.”

“I suppose it is,” starting their second game, he studied Jack as he snorted “So Flint came back and then left again?”

His eyes on the ocean had tracked their path, and as far as he knew, the ship had disappeared on the horizon “His ship was last seen a few hours ago.” If Jack hoped that he would come and deliver him, he was sadly mistaken.

Jack couldn't believe Flint would just sail away, not while there was still a chance to bring the cache to safety, and he hoped that Anne, returning it, was just a scheme and they had a plan to get him out of there. “Poor Mr. Dufresne though, not that I liked him very much, but he deserved a better end. Hornigold will have a hard time finding a man as 'competent' as him.” Remembering that the governor had asked him about the latter, he sighed “As for your earlier request about the story between Hornigold and Eleanor, I truly do not know more than bits and bribes of the divergences in opinion between them, and Hornigold, well the man's piracy years are long behind him, he has changed sides for his own comfort.”

It truly wasn't anything knew, and Woodes started to feel a little disappointed. He would have loved knowing more, but Jack wasn't done yet. Without anyone to talk to but a rat, he was very inclined in using his mouth and voice a little, not to mention he could plant discord between the governor and the people he used as advisers. “As for Eleanor... She's a real bitch, dragged Chuck,” he stopped, taking a sip of wine “I mean Vane, I call him Chuck, is an affectionate nickname I give him. Back to Eleanor, she dragged him around by his balls and emasculated him whenever he did something that did not fit her plans. I saw it happen too many times to have any love left for that woman.”

Woodes had a hard time keeping a straight face, and Rackham noticed, not needing long before laughing again “Don't tell me, she's got your balls in her grip too already?”

Narrowing his eyes, Woodes' tone was warning “My balls are in no one's grip, I assure you.” Oh, she was trying to grip them, but now he had two men telling him the same thing, and one could exactly say that Hornigold and Rackham were anything alike. Yes, they would both benefit from bringing doubt in his mind about Eleanor, but he had the nagging feeling that that was not all. 

“Not even your wife's?”

Bitterly snorting “Most definitely not hers,” Woodes motioned for Jack to fill him up a cup, Jack grinning “Let me guess, Eleanor has been throwing herself at you, because let me tell you something, you strike me as her type... Not too bad looking, in a good position, wealthy, have I already mentioned in a good position? You are just what she fucks usually, to strengthened her own influence. Happened with Vane, happened with Max,” Jack smirked “Yes, Max too” when Woodes' eyebrows rose. “She uses that pussy of hers to get what she wants, so you better watch out.”

Woodes downed some wine, only adding to Jack's hilarity “I can understand you, she's not my type, but you, away from your wife, not many women around who could keep up with you... Most certainly wouldn't look flattering if you visited the brothel, I get why she caught you in her net.”

“She has not caught me in anything, and I have come down here to not have my private life dissected by a criminal.”

“Fair point, I would heed my warning though,” Woodes wondered what it would take to make the other shut up, maybe bending him over the table and fucking him would finally silence that mouth of his, and the way he looked at Jack while he pondered the question made Rackham shiver and add “Alright, alright... No more talking about sexual intercourse, I get it.” He tried to read Woodes' expression, but stopped when he realized what kind of gaze he was actually receiving. He wasn't sure what it truly entailed, but he was glad when Woodes sipped some more wine and moved his next pawn.

Woodes preferred staying out of the deeper contemplations of his idea, he had seen recognition dawn in Rackham's eyes and he most certainly could do without the accusation of wanting to fuck him now, no one would take a criminal's word for it, but he had kept the few past indiscretions with men a complete secret, and he wouldn't start today having his name spoken in the same sentence as sodomy. Changing the subject, he asked Jack “So what are you and Anne going to do once this is all over.”

Jack snickered “Oh no, governor, I will not inform you of our plans, that would be too easy, wouldn't it?”

“I guess it would,” moving a bishop he snorted “Checkmate, Captain Rackham.”

Jack pouted a little, contemplating every move he could make and then gave up “Bah, guess we're at a draw now.”

“Yes, I think we should leave it at that for now,” their talks had rattled him a little and he needed some fresh air. It would probably help him put clarity to his thoughts. Getting up, he heard Jack say “I guess I should thank you for having saved me from my boredom.”

Woodes couldn't refrain from admitting “You saved me from boring moments too... And yours will be over soon, I am sure your little furry friend will keep you good company until then.” 

 

The problem with taking a little time-out, was that afterwards half-a-dozen advisers were waiting for him, beelining towards him the second they saw him. Woodes sighed, rolling his eyes, though he got lucky and only had to provide a few signatures. Anything to go and have supper in peace and quiet. 

Eleanor was sitting upstairs, with Mrs. Hudson, and was knitting, something that drew a quizzical and amused expression on his face. So now she was becoming predictable, playing the good wife, busying herself with crafts proper to women in good society as to please his councillors. He was looking forward to hear Chamberlain's opinion on the matter. He wasn't much surprised when she immediately dropped everything and followed him to his study.

“I've heard you visited Rackham again.”

“Yes, I informed him that his captivity was coming to an end,” Woodes let her help him get rid of his coats and cravat, stopping her hands as they slipped under his shirt. He shook his head “Not now, there will be supper brought soon and I have some correspondence to go through,” which he would have preferred taking care of alone but it would send the wrong message to Eleanor, he wanted to see how far she would go and take this little game so let her stay.

Eleanor moved a chair next to his, and elbow on the table and head resting on her hand, watched him until he had enough and raised his eyes from the document “What?”

“Nothing, I like to look at you, that is all.”

“Really,” he snorted softly “Why can't I shed the feeling that there is more to this than just you enjoying to look at my face.”

A knock announced the supper and Eleanor waited for them to be alone again to bring up the matter that had been tormenting her all day. Or since Mrs. Hudson had started with the subject. “You are right, there is a matter I would like to talk to you about. Mrs. Hudson started with it earlier, and I don't need to ask the Commodore or your officers what they think of me... Of us...” she drank some wine and then continued “You are married, and maybe it would be better...”

Woodes stopped her “You want me to divorce my wife and marry you.” 

“It would probably go a long way into making our union look less problematic to everyone.”

It would, but it would also bring up another set of problems, straight from England. He didn't even want to imagine what the word would be if they were to be informed of the man they had chosen, trusted to be the governor of Nassau was divorcing one of their circle to marry a certain Eleanor Guthrie. “You are right, but that is a move that needs to be planned carefully, not around supper while I have other, more pressing matters that need my attention. As for my men, I will make sure they understand you have my trust and therefore should have theirs too.”

Eleanor had hoped for another outcome, but he was right, there were more pressing matters, she would bring the subject back up once they had been taken care of “Thank you.”

Once the plates had been removed and they were alone again, Woodes let himself drop face first onto the bed, sighing contently as his body relaxed for the first time in the day. Eleanor joined him and helped him remove his shirt, slowly starting to massage his shoulders, sitting on his waist. Her hand moved over the scars on his right shoulder, her lips lowering to place a kiss on them “How did that happen? Back when...” she let the rest go unsaid, seeing him nod from his position on his crossed arms “One of them, yes... The other was during a sword-fight.”

He closed his eyes and relaxed his body further, enjoying the way she was kneading the tension out of his muscles. That was definitely something he could tolerate receiving from her, and something more. He let her finish and then rolled her over, smirking as he kissed her. If she insisted on coming to his bed, he would play the charming man she apparently thought him to be. And to hell with them all, if he could get a little pleasure, he would take it.


	6. Chapter 05 - V.-I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Reader... This is part I of III, the chapter having developed a life of its own and having grown out of proportion, I decided to split it up, three parts seemed the most logical due to the content. Anyway, have fun...

The prospect of finally being handed over the cache kept Woodes awake most of the night, to be rid of the Spanish threat and be able of concentrating on commerce and their defences was brightening his mood. He stretched, yawning and then sat up, Eleanor mumbling next to him “Do you ever sleep?”

“I'll sleep when this whole affair is over, which I can't wait for it to be,” he rolled out of bed before Eleanor could hog him again and got ready to start the day. He had some more correspondence he had to take care of and then would have the caravan prepared. He would not leave anything to chance, that chest would not leave his side nor sight until it was on the ship bound to Havana. Too many forces wanted to get their hands on it and he would protect it no matter what.

Being governor had its perks, having breakfast served in his study while going over the most pressing correspondence, mainly ignoring Eleanor hoovering next to him, indulging in tea and looking at the letters over his shoulder, was one of them. What was a lot less pleasant was a door flying open without as much as a knock and Mrs. Hudson storming in with a sombre and anxious expression on her face. It wasn't the first time that woman barged into his room without announcing herself, and the last time she had come to admit to being a spy, something he still felt like punishing her for, so having a repeat of it made his blood freeze “What is it now?”

Her eyes were darting hectically from Woodes to Eleanor, she knew this would not fly well with the governor, but she too had no choice as to comply with what she had been told “I was just contacted by the Spanish spy, and,” she swallowed hard “There is something more they want, in addition to the gold.”

Woodes cringed, rubbing his face and sighing repeatedly, leaving it to Eleanor to ask “What do they want?”

There was no reason to beat around the bush, the news she was bringing wouldn't magically become better and more bearable with time, so she simply said “Rackham.”

Woodes eyes flew to her face, widening, not sure he liked the implications “Beg pardon?”

“They want to have the one responsible for it all in addition to the gold.”

Woodes looked from her to Eleanor “I gave them my word, Anne Bonny and Rackham, I promised to release him for the safe return of the cache. I will get the cache today, and now I will have to go behind my word?” 

“I would not risk contriving them, my Lord, they...”

“No, of course not, I am in no position to even contemplate doing such, still, this will have a backlash. The street will think my word to mean nothing and will not believe me easily in the future.”

“The street will understand why you had to do it,” it wasn't ideal, far from it, but they would have to play with the cards they had been handed. “I have to inform, Max,” if only out of fairness, she had changed Anne's mind and would not see lightly to being turned into a liar “It was her who gave Anne her word, and the two were... I have to tell her,” Woodes saw the urgency in Eleanor's gaze and smiled “Of course, if you trust her enough to keep this to herself. I don't want all of Nassau gossiping about it and it ending in Anne Bonny's ear before the exchange.”

“She will, she has a lot to lose too,” Chamberlain arrived, his usual frown on his face “I heard there were more problems?” Woodes wondered how information could go around that fast, Peter providing “I saw Mrs. Hudson rush through the hall in urgency and, well, wild guess.” 

“The Spanish want Jack Rackham delivered with the gold,” Woodes sat on the corner of his desk, shaking his head dejectedly “And there is nothing I can do against it. Or do you feel like starting a war with them?”

Chamberlain scowled, he too hated that they were at the mercy of Governor Raja's moods, but once the gold would be delivered, and Rackham if they had to, and no, he would not risk any of his men for a pirate, then the threat from them would be gone. Or at least they would have no more means of exerting pressure, of blackmailing them with the prospect of an attack. “This is an unfortunate development.”

“Don't you say,” Woodes started pacing his study “Do you know what they will call me? Liar... And I can't even find fault with them for doing so...”

Chamberlain could understand the governor's stance on the matter, he personally did not care what anyone in Nassau thought about him, but then he had another job to do than Rogers, one that did not require for the population to follow him and like him.“They will get over it... The alternative is Nassau burning to the ground, I do not believe that is an outcome they would appreciate more.”

“The lesser of two evils?” it was becoming too much of an occurrence, the fact that he seemed to be constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place, never being able of dictating the proceedings but merely able to react and comply. But Woodes had gone through too much to let it discourage him, piss him off yes, annoy him yes, bother and exhaust him, of course, but he would not give up and would prevail. 

“They will have to see you have no other possibility, and they will see it,” Eleanor ignored Chamberlain's look and continued, if he thought she would be a silent little wife then he was sorely mistaken “No one wants Nassau to burn, if it means sacrificing Jack, they won't be happy, but they won't object.”

To Chamberlain the matter was decided, he had a caravan to prepare, so he took his leave “Good, that is settled then. I'll continue with the proceedings, my Lord.” The route that had been chosen would only be made known to the carriage driver when they would leave, until then that was a secret shared only by him, the governor and, his eyes laid on Eleanor, she probably knew it too, having _sucked_ it out of Woodes. It disgusted him on several levels but he couldn't do anything about it, not yet anyway. “I'll see you later, governor, Miss Guthrie,” he nodded at Woodes and then left for the fort, Mrs. Hudson following him out of the room.

Eleanor waited for the door to close and sighed, something important on her chest and hoping Woodes would understand that she couldn't but ask that of him “I need you to promise me something.”

Woodes wasn't sure if he wanted to spend time reflecting upon promises Eleanor wanted to hear from him, “What?”

“Please tell the men you'll send to retrieve the chest to not attack Anne Bonny first. She will be upset, she will be furious, and she'll probably antagonize them, but please, don't...”

“I will tell them not to draw unless absolutely necessary,” it was without question that any needless bloodshed should be avoided. The men wouldn't be happy but they would comply with his orders. 

“It will go a long way with Max, and the street... When they see that you did not wish for this outcome and did everything to minimize the casualties.”

Woodes nodded, while getting ready to go and inform the men of the change in plans “I will make sure they understand.” Someone who would probably not understand would be Rackham, Woodes pondered a moment whether he should go and inform the man, but quickly discarded the idea, he would find out soon enough, the caravan scheduled to leave some time in the afternoon. He would explain everything to him then, not a ride he was looking for anymore, having to face the man he would submit to his executioners. After having promised him his freedom, his pardon.

Eleanor walked up to him and embraced him, softly whispering “Thank you,” Woodes leaning his head against hers for a brief moment before stepping back “I did not wish for this turn of events, if we can have it go down smoothly and without bloodshed, then better for it. All I want are the gems, not her head on a pole.”

Eleanor inevitably had a flashback of a head on a pole, a gift to her, like a cat would bring. It really was not the moment to start thinking of _that_ man, so she concentrated on what Woodes had said “After this, she'll want your head on a pole. And mine, Max's everyone who took Jack from her.”

Woodes laughed bitterly “Who wouldn't...” he squeezed Eleanor's hand and then made his way to the fort to give last instructions to the men who had been chosen to retrieve the cache. 

 

Eleanor was not looking forward to apprise Max of this particular development but decency and their good relations and trust demanded it. She couldn't have Max find it out after the fact, there was a lot of history with her and Anne, and now being made a liar would not sit well with her. It didn't sit well with Eleanor either, even if she had to admit having Jack removed from her life forever did not sound all-that-bad, considering he would not stop working to disrupt the governor's plans and therefore her plans.

“I swore to Anne that these terms would be honoured... Surrender the cache and Jack goes free... I gave her my word.” It was incomprehensible to Max that Eleanor would put her in that kind of a fucked-up situation with Anne. The population of Nassau she could handle, but lying to Anne would forever ruin her chances to make up with her.

“I know. They've changed the rules so very late in the game... We could resist but we've got nothing to bargain with... Were there anything I could do, were there anything that the governor could do, I assure you it would be done. Either Jack is surrendered with the gold or Nassau burns.”

Max glared at her, she didn't truly care that there was nothing else that could be done, that did not change the fact that Anne would fall victim to it. A knock interrupted them and Max inhaled deeply, trying to recover from those dire news before she replied “Yes.”

Featherstone entered, immediately noticing something was wrong and apologizing himself, took his leave quickly, not sure what was going on but certain he did not like it.

Max served herself a drink, gulping down a large sip before “When the governor's men arrive at the transaction without Jack and Anne sees this. She will resist... I would humbly ask that the governor's men refrain...”

“They have been forbidden from firing first, they've been forbidden from provoking her. They were forbidden from using any violence against her at all unless in dire and unavoidable self-defence.”

“Why?”

“Because I demanded it. Out of respect for your partnership,” she needed Max's support and after the reproachful speech she had received the day before, and knowing how much she was smitten with Anne Bonny, she just couldn't do other than asking Woodes for lenience. 

“I do not know which is worse, that she perish fighting for Jack or that she would survive without him. If it is even truly surviving, losing half of herself this way,” Max had some difficulty bearing the thought of what would happen not long from now, Anne and her may have had a fall out, but she had not lost the hope to reconcile. That would not be possible anymore in a few hours. And in the unlikely event of Anne surviving, she wouldn't have to expect any clemency if they ever crossed paths again. Anne would see her as a traitor and would have her head for that.

 

Featherstone, staring at the door to Max's office, felt this whole affair to be awfully eerie and was trying to make sense of what he had heard, thought he had heard. Idelle interrupted him when she noticed his state, and he started “I thought I heard them say something about,” only to let it go through his mind over and over again then shrugging “Nothing. Never mind” after dismissing it all. If it was indeed true, it may be better if no one knew he knew. The look he received from Idelle was loaded with reproach, but he couldn't change it so he played it innocent and a bit confused.

Which he was, as he walked through the streets of Nassau wondering what he could do with what he had heard. If it was true, then the governor was lying to them all, deceiving them, manipulating them even, and that could not be kept unknown. He needed proof for that first though, but that meant meddling. And that could be dangerous, no, would be dangerous. If the governor, Eleanor or Max were to find out, he would be made an example off by becoming Nassau's first gallow's-figure, swinging in the wind.

Turning around a corner, he felt himself grabbed by the collar and propelled against the wall, ending face to face with Charles Vane, who didn't look too happy and startled him. By all accounts, the man was supposed to be somewhere at large with Teach, not sneaking through Nassau and scaring him half to death “Charles? What?”

“A pardon, really? They come and you what? Bend over, forget who and what you are? Or maybe you never were one of us to begin with.”

Featherstone didn't find Vane's words very fair, the man had not been there, not that he could take offence with his hasted departure from Nassau. Only the noose had been waiting for him, actually still was, so he looked around, hoping no one would give them any attention. “What was I supposed to do? Things have changed here, that pardon is a good way to...” Vane interrupted him “Enough, I need to find Jack and Anne, where are they?”

“Oh boy,” Featherstone wiped his forehead, suddenly even more nervous, being the bearer of bad news, to someone like Vane was not something one could look forward to “You don't know?” Seeing Charles shake his head he sighed, wiping his face “Jack is in a cell in the fort, and Anne is somewhere inland. With the cache of gems. Which she will hand over for Rackham in a few hours. Unfortunately...”

Charles stared at the other man, still processing Jack's arrest and Anne's disappearance with the cache, he couldn't even begin to understand what could have gone wrong to lead to this result. Featherstone's tone made him frown though, he didn't like how it sounded as if there were more “Unfortunately what?”

“Max may have made mention of an exchange between the governor's men and Anne Bonny,” he definitely had to stop hearing things, it always ended with him being in the most impossible of situations, like when Jack had left him to deal with Vane's reaction when he'd send them raid a ship with slaves. He definitely had to stop hearing secrets and schemes, his life would be so much easier. He wouldn't be in situations in which he had to inform Charles Vane about ploys, lies and deceptions “I think Anne believes she's handing over her share of the Urca prize money in exchange for Jack's release. But by the time...”

Charles finished for him, not needing more to see what was going on “...by the time Anne realizes that she has been lied to it will be too late to do anything about it.” His eyes darkened “You know this, and here you are doing nothing about it?”

“Cut the crap, Vane, what would you have me do? Even if I could tell anyone, how the fuck is their response not... Hand over Jack or Nassau burns... This is a dilemma for us how?”

“Then help me,” Charles would not let Anne run into a trap, not if he could help it, but for that he needed information. And he couldn't exactly run around Nassau, finding out by himself. Featherstone could though, and he could recruit others to help. Because he needed to get to Anne and then advise a plan to get the cache and Jack back, before it was all too late “Help me find out where that exchange is going to be... So I can stop it.”

Featherstone hated himself for agreeing, but he had to do something and Vane was not someone he wanted to be in the bad graces of. If the governor was lying to them, then that had to become public knowledge, and in order for that to happen, he needed proof. “Alright, meet me back here in an hour, I'll see what I can do,” he felt alive, excited, and a little nervous but he knew he was doing the right thing. Either he was wrong and had misunderstood Max, then no one would come to harm, but if he was right, then the governor was a lying piece of shit who needed to be exposed. Recruiting Idelle proved to be hard, but in the end she wanted to know the truth too and set off to charm a few answers out of the governor's men. 

 

Far from imagining that Charles Vane was in Nassau scheming to disrupt his plans, Woodes finished explaining to his men that they should not engage Anne Bonny, not if it was in any way humanly possible and hoped he had conveyed his message. It would of course also depend on the woman, if she charged them, well, she had already killed one of his men, it wouldn't happen again. Everything was ready and he would not tolerate any more changes in plans, no more delays. Captain Berringer was already waiting on the Southern shore to reception the chest and Rackham and take them to Havana, and Woodes was ready to commence his work without a sword of Damocles, wielded by the Spanish, looming over his head.

“The caravan is ready, none of the men know which route you will take, not yet. They will find out when you leave,” Chamberlain would have preferred accompanying the governor, but one decision-taker had to stay in Nassau, and with Berringer already gone, and Woodes stubbornly insisting on taking the cache and Jack to the ship himself, the dealings of Nassau would have to be his. 

“Good. Prevented any more surprises, we can sleep soundly tonight.” Woodes acknowledged the members of his cabinet with a head-motion as he and Chamberlain joined them, to inform them of the evolution of things. 

 

Once Charles knew where the transaction would take place, he rode like the devil to arrive before the governor's men would, he couldn't let Anne run head first into a trap, not when so much was at stake. He arrived with quite some ruckus and Anne turned, hands on her swords, ready to defend the cache and herself. She recognized Vane immediately and frowned “What the fuck are you doing here, Charles?”

“Hello Charles. How have you been Charles? Good to see you Charles? No?” he shook his head with an bemused air about him before turning serious “I have come to warn you... They won't release Jack.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Featherstone overheard Max voicing her worry about your reaction when you notice they have not brought Jack,” seeing the fire in Anne's eyes and knowing fair well what that meant he quickly interjected “No Anne, we will free Jack together, I give you my word, but in the meantime, we have to make sure the governor suspects nothing.”

“Bullshit,” she was wondering if the sun was shining too brightly and she was dreaming so she punched Charles hard on the chest, making him chuckle and move a step back while she shook her head and the hand she had punched him with “Fuck, what are you doing here, Charles?”

“We came for the cache and the two of you...”

Last she had seen him he had been heading out with Teach's fleet, if she were honest, she had not counted on seeing him again this soon, but if he were to be right, then it would mean Max had played her, had lied to her, and that would demand retribution. It was as well then that Vane was back, she'd need all the help she could get “We? Teach is with you?” 

Charles cringed, not wanting to think about that man and what had happened. What he had done to him – again. “No, not Teach... The Walrus is just beyond the horizon, waiting to make another approach... We won't let them sent Jack to Havana, Anne, but you have to trust me on this,” they knew each other for so long, he hoped she saw how certain he was about a positive outcome. It would work, it had to, but not handing over the chest would be extremely counter-productive, he couldn't have the governor looking for them. “Hand them over the chest, make a little fuss about it but nothing more... Act shocked but don't raise your sword. We'll get it back, together with Jack.”

“You better be right Charles, you better be fucking right,” she was seething and wanted to kill someone, best Max for having lied to her, straight to her face. Talking about before, when things were different, wrapping her around her little finger to get into the good graces of the governor. “Shit, I trusted Max, she said Jack would be released and I fucking believed her.”

“Trust is overrated nowadays,” he nodded at her, motioning behind him “I'll be waiting there.”

Anne nodded, feeling safer with Vane having her back, but the prospect to have to face the governor's men made her blood boil. It would be very hard not to shove her sword through their bodies.

Watching the carriage get closer, Anne still wanted to dash Charles' head in, but the man had a way of convincing you of the dumbest plans, and they usually worked, so if the governor truly had lied and would not release Jack, she would trust Vane to come up with something that would save Jack no matter what. Or she would skin him alive. Snarling “The fuck is this” at the soldiers as she realized that Charles had been right, she let them nonetheless take the cache, her fingers twitching to unsheathe her swords. She hated losing, and this, even if according to Vane only temporary loss, was already pissing her off, very much off. But having guns cocked at her made any attempt seem like suicide so she listened to reason and let them take the chest.

Once the carriage was out of the sight she heard footsteps behind her, she didn't need to turn to imagine Charles' face, he had been right “What now?” With this move they were relying one-hundred percent on other people, and she had a tendency of not trusting anyone, and after Max it was over. Not Idelle, not Featherstone, no matter how much they were helping them already.

Charles would have preferred to have been informed wrongly, but it didn't surprise him much that the governor had gone behind his words. The man was nothing but an English bastard, and who cared if the Spanish had added Jack to their demands belatedly, a real man would work it out differently and not resort to dishonesty. “Come, we've got a lot to prepare,” he pulled Anne by the arm, letting go when she ripped it free, glaring at him “I am not the enemy here, Anne.”

“Fuck off and let's go.”

It was good to see they still had allies in Nassau, even if Featherstone was far from being the best warrior, he was risking much and had truly come through for them by warning them beforehand, all they needed now was the route Jack and cache would take and they could be on their way. Before that, they had to go and inform Flint of the developments though. He could already hear the man rant but there was no one he would rather have at his side for their next endeavour. Between him and Flint, they would manage to recapture the cache and free Jack. 

 

Charles climbed on board, Anne short on his tail, and nodded at Flint “There have been some developments, we had to hand Rogers the chest.”

Flint couldn't believe what he was hearing, he had not send Vane to Nassau to lose them the chest, it had been all the opposite and now, not only were they still one man short, but they had lost their means to finance their war. “Why the fuck did you get them the chest?”

Anne was agreeing with Flint that it had been a bad idea, but Charles could be convincing when he wanted to be, his magic now operating on Flint as he explained matter-of-factly “Because had we held it, right now we'd be in a stand-off with a superior force, time working against us, and no way to secure Jack's release... This way, the governor has all that he needs and no reason to suspect anything is amiss, leaving him to proceed with his plan.”

“A plan you think that we can frustrate?” Flint hoped Charles had a plan already in the making, right now they were at a serious disadvantage and he would hate to lose both Jack and the cache to the governor and the Spanish.

Charles rasped “Jack and the cache are to be moved aboard a secret caravan, to a ship waiting somewhere off the Southern coast. If we can intercept that caravan, we can secure both the money to start our war and the partner to help us fight it.” 

Anne added “Either we get Jack and the cache or we get nothing.”

Rubbing his face, Flint snorted and then looked at them gravely before locking eyes with Silver who just shrugged, it was a crazy plan but they've had crazier ones working so it seemed feasible. Charles had thrown them a serious curve-ball with this, but he wouldn't let Rackham hang or become a peace-offering, not to mention that their war was lost beforehand if they didn't capture back the chest “Alright, let's go...” 

Silver followed, leaning over the railing “Don't make us have to devise another plan to rescue you guys.”

James smirked “We'll do our best,” and they would have to be extremely careful. If Rogers came to know he was back on the island, he would come for him “Can't give Rogers the pleasure of capturing us this early in the game.”

 

While Flint lead the the pirates to establish their hide-out in the house Miranda had lived in, Woodes' couldn't even begin to guess what plots were being hatched behind his back, his eyes laying on the cache of gems, all weight falling from him. It had worked, it had actually worked. And Anne was still alive, not having been happy but not having attacked his men when she realized the deception, eight men too many for to take out. It would go a long way with Max if her friend was still alive.

“I can't believe I finally have it in my possession,” he smiled at Eleanor who retorted “Not for long though.”

“A pity,” it truly was a pity, but it wasn't his, hadn't been to begin with, but he wouldn't lie and pretend that he would have send them back their gold if he had had the means to win that war. If he the army to stand any chance to defeat Raja, he would have told him to go and fuck himself and kept it all. Giving it one last glance, he closed the chest and tucked the key safely away inside a pocket of his coat. “Not long anymore, I am looking forward to a celebratory drink tonight.”

Eleanor laughed “I will have everything ready for when you come back.” Maybe with this off his chest, off their chests, she could bring the divorce and marriage topic back up, she needed legitimation as soon as possible and why wait. 

“I would be forever grateful,” he couldn't add anything more, Chamberlain arriving “The caravan is being readied, if you're ready...”

He was ready, not so much to face Rackham, but he was ready. It was too late to have a change of hearts anyway, so he followed Chamberlain and the chest to the carriage, eager to get this all behind him.


	7. Chapter 06 - V.-II

It was late afternoon when Jack's cell opened, later than the governor had predicted so he supposed something may have happened. That impression solidified when he was thrown shackles to put on. This was not how he had envisioned his release, not in the least. He followed the guards, blinking when the bright sunlight hit his eyes. He stopped next to the carriage, still not quite understanding what was going on, but one look inside cleared that up. Not the essence of what was happening, because it most definitely did not look as if he was being released, he still couldn't quite read the gaze he received from the man sitting already inside and inviting him silently in.

Slipping inside, he noticed the chest besides Rogers' feet and he couldn't exactly pretend not to be extremely surprised, shocked even, so he asked, for good measure, his voice dripping with disbelief “Anne actually exchanged the cache for my release?” He had still hoped that she wouldn't do it, when Rogers had spoken about Flint, no matter the disappearance of the Walrus, he knew the man was nothing if not stubborn. And yet here was the chest.

Woodes hated being in this situation. He wouldn't say it aloud, but despite all the grief Jack had given him, he felt he had bonded with the man, he most certainly had enjoyed their discussions. And having to offer him up to Spain of all, that sat very bad with him. But right now his hands were bound, if he didn't want to end up on the wrong side of the noose himself. Nodding, he locked eyes with him “Yes.”

As his shackles were secured, it became obvious things were not happening as they were supposed to happen. Something was amiss, Jack was no fool, and he didn't need Rogers' apologizing gaze to understand his future was looking grim “This does not seem like a release. Why does this not seem like a release?”

Woodes sighed deeply “Spain has demanded I deliver you along with the cache. I am told that once you and the cache arrive in Havana, my debt to Spain will be repaid. I do not appreciate having terms altered after the fact in this way, but in this moment I am simply in no position to refuse them.”

“I see,” this was not how Jack had hoped it would all play out. He had believed the man when he had said that he would be released, this was not how it was supposed to be. “So I am to be sacrificed.”

“Perhaps you were right. That in a place like this there is no progress without awful sacrifice.” It shouldn't feel like a sacrifice when it came to pirates, but Jack was more in Woodes eyes. Not that it changed anything when it came to the rotten situation they all were in. “Make ready to depart,” there was no reason to delay the inevitable, and he wanted to get it all behind him.

Jack asked as the carriage started moving “But if you were in a position to refuse them, if you had the means, would you?” he wasn't sure why he asked, it wouldn't make any difference since it wouldn't change the outcome, but on a personal level he wanted to know whether the man would actually challenge them for a late-minute change, involving a life.

Woodes contemplated Jack a moment “Yes, were I in any position to refuse them, I would... And if it is any consolation, no harm was done to your partner. She left the transaction unscathed.”

“So she's alive, Anne?”

“She is, you have my word,” Woodes saw the doubt in Jack's eyes “I know that my word may not count as much to you right now, but I assure you, she is.”

It sounded strange to Jack, oh he believed the governor, but it seemed so not like Anne not to challenge him, handing over the chest without a fight was not like her, and that could actually only mean one thing. She had a plan and this all was far from over.

 

Eleanor had stayed out of sight not wanting to have to lock eyes with Jack, and watching the caravan leave, she felt anxious for it all to be over, for Rackham and the cache to be on their way to Havana to put an end to this impossible situation. Just like Woodes she believed it all to be over, only a few more hours and their lives would be running a lot smoother, the plan to disrupt that outcome unfortunately for them, nicely advancing a few miles inland.

As the caravan took the road out of Nassau, Flint and the others got ready after having been waiting for Featherstone's agent in Miranda's house. It wasn't easy for James to spend time there, the ghosts still haunting the place, bringing back memories he rather not have, and Charles teasing him with his incapacity to understand that a man could want for a home, domesticity, a place to feel safe, was not exactly helpful. The more happy he was when they were finally informed what route the governor would be taking with his caravan. Eight men, that would be feasible, they were a little over a dozen, Flint, Vane, Anne, Billie and the rest mercenaries and a handful of the crew. They mounted the horses they had organized and took off, praying that the information that they had received was accurate, they couldn't go wrong on this or everything would be over. They only had one shot at it. 

While her Nemesis' were charging after Rogers, Eleanor was nipping on some tea in Max's office, keeping her posted on the new developments “The cache is in our possession... It's on its way as we speak to the transport, and then to Havana.”

“With Jack?” 

“Yes. The governor is seeing to it personally that the transport sets sail with its cargo. Within a matter of hours, the Spanish issue will be closed and we will all be free to move forward.”

Max had tried not to think of the events unfolding around her, the bereavement of a possible future with Anne, the thought that she had been killed, believing she had lied to her, had just been too much “And Anne?”

“The men said she was angered... When she realized that Jack wasn't there, she let the cache go. Anne was unharmed.”

Max's head snapped around, not believing that Anne would just let the cache go, without a fight. That she had not killed every single one of them. “Unharmed?”

“Yes. I advised the governor to send eight men to the exchange to deter any attempt on her part to fight.”

Max couldn't believe Anne had not resisted, had given up the chest and Jack. That was not normal, and it just couldn't be “When did she realize?” Seeing Eleanor not understanding her question she clarified what was bothering her “That Jack was not there... When did Anne realize that she had been lied to. Was it before of after they secured the cache?”

“Before I think, why?”

“When you told me this was to be, I was upset by the thought of having lied to Anne. I was devastated by the certainty it would unavoidably lead to her death. For the moments he realized that Jack was not there, that she had been crossed and that she would likely never see him again, she would attempt to kill anyone she deemed responsible.” She shook her head “Eight men? You could have send a thousand it would not have deterred her. And now you are saying to me that she knew she had been crossed and chose to walk away to save herself?”

Anne felt a cold shiver run down her back, she had not given it a single thought, so happy that the cache was at last theirs and that their dreadful business with Spain would finally be over. And now Max was seriously putting doubt in her mind that it was truly over. “What are you saying?”

“What I am saying is, that Anne Bonny would have never just given up the cache, unless she has another plan. One that involves getting it back... With Jack... And what more easy as to have them both in the same place.”

“The governor will not let them go so easily.”

“And do you think Anne will? She will not be alone, Eleanor, for all we know, Vane, Flint, Silver, they are all in cohorts with her. How many men has the governor with him?”

“Come,” Eleanor suddenly didn't care anymore how many men Woodes had with him, if Max was right, and Flint was still on the island, then he was running a grave danger. And not only him, if the cache and Jack were to disappear, it would annihilate any chance at soothing the Spanish “We have to go and warn the Commodore there may be a problem.”

 

On the road to the Southern shore one mind was circling around the Spanish too, Jack's was drifting in many directions, the one showing his grim future the most nagging. Of all the ends he could have had, this must be the least impressive. He contemplated the governor for a moment and then asked “Do you speak Spanish?”

Taken out of his reveries, Woodes turned his head, eyes moving from the breathtaking ocean-front to Jack, up and down the man while wondering where that had come from “Beg pardon?”

“¿Habla Español?”

Narrowing his eyes, he still didn't understand what Jack was trying to get at, his dealings with the Spanish were bad enough, he still did see them as his brother's murderers and didn't shy away from sinking their ships when he knew he could get away with it. Those were things Jack couldn't know though, at least he couldn't find any reason the man would know anything about it. Deciding to play it cautious he answered “a little,” even if he was practically fluent. “You?”

“Hardly into it. If I am in Havana, I assume I'll be hearing a lot of it – shouted by bitter old women in a crowd, growled by angry officials...” Woodes could feel amusement bubble up in him, not because of what would happen to Rackham, but the way the man saw and phrased his future was most entertaining. And it was probably a correct description of what lay ahead for the man. Jack wasn't done yet, adding with a little pout on his face “It seems a rotten thing to wish upon anyone... An unflattering eulogy in an unfamiliar tongue...”

“It will be quick, to whatever extent it sets your mind at ease...” not that it would be pleasant, but he did not believe the Spanish would draw out the whole matter. They too would be glad to put it al behind them. “The gold is theirs, the gems are theirs, they do not need anything from you any more and as such are likely to put the entire affair behind them and move on.” 

Something nagged Woodes though, Jack Rackham may be a pirate, but the man was eloquent, too eloquent to misuse conditionals, and he felt all the alarm bells in his mind ring at once “I am sorry,” he locked eyes with Jack “if?”

Jack looked back at him, his mind drifting from Anne and whatever plan she may have concocted to Woodes' question “Beg your pardon?” 

“You said if I am in Havana... In your mind this outcome is still in doubt?”

Jack pondered it a second and then grinned “Well, the odds are certainly in its favour, but it is by no means a certainty.” 

“How so exactly?”

“You said Anne is alive, did you not?” It was all coming back to Anne, who would never hand over the chest without ulterior motives, Anne, who would come and get him freed, there was no doubt in Jack's mind about that very good possibility “I would argue that as long as that is true, there is a chance, however remote, she would frustrate your efforts to send me off to my death.”

For a split second Woodes suddenly doubted his own plan, but he knew he had taken every precaution, there was nothing he had left out of the equation, so it was practically impossible for someone to come and 'frustrate his efforts' and yet “Out of curiosity, how would she go about doing that?”

“I have no idea,” Jack shrugged, he was clueless as to how she would go about his rescue, it depended on so many factors he couldn't even begin to guess “Everything and anything in her power I'd imagine, up to including walking out in the middle of the road ahead of us to be run over by your horses in the hope of slowing you down even a moment.”

Woodes let that sink in and then shook his head, intrigued and fascinated by that kind of reasoning “What it is fascinating to me, how stubbornly you people expect the unlikeliest of outcomes because you prefer them.” They had taken over New Providence island, had taken over Nassau and thought they could create there own little republic, without any reprisal from England. “You expect the world to become what you want it to be despite all available evidence and experience to the contrary. This was not the way I had hoped this affair would play out, but I can assure you it is most certainly not going to play out to way you hope it will either.” There was no way it could, he had made sure of that “See, to stand in the road ahead of us, she would have to know which road to stand in.”

Jack wondered why he had not given it a thought earlier, the governor most certainly was a powerful player, one who would have more than one ace up his sleeve.“You held the route secret”?

“I held a number of potential routes secret, before settling on this one. So that even if the secrets are compromised, anyone intending to hit us would be more than likely in possession of the wrong route.” It was better to be safe than sorry, and Nassau was too much of an unknown battlefield to play it careless.

Jack sighed internally, the little twitch not evading Woodes attention “I... Again, I am sorry for how this has to play out, but don't waste your time hoping for an impossible outcome. Because that won't happen.”

Jack could see that the man sitting opposite of him in his ride to his presumed doom was unhappy with the situation, and he believed him when he said he'd wish for a different outcome. But things weren't as certain as Rogers believed them to be. There was no chance – no chance – in hell Anne wouldn't raise that-said hell to come and get him. Secret routes or not. And in the best of cases she wouldn't be alone, after all Flint and Silver had been seen in Nassau.

He looked outside only to have his view obstructed by a flask, making him snort amused “Trying to offer me solace?”

Woodes snorted and shook his head “That is only water, I still find this climate to be oppressive and heavy.”

Jack's eyes raked over Woodes the way the man's had earlier. He had to give him that he had a certain style, a certain charisma, but there was something dangerous lurking beneath that in-control and proper demeanour he showed. Something that appealed to Jack a lot, the man being his enemy or not, those eyes had spunk in them and it was a pity they stood on different sides in this war “You will get used to it, I did. Though layering up like that does not exactly help, maybe one coat less and the climate would not be as oppressive.”

He received a little smile as response and then they both concentrated on the passing scenery, Woodes deciding after a while to read a little to make the time pass faster. It wasn't as easy as people would imagine to take someone to his death, not in a fair fight but delivering him to his butchers. Like a coward. He couldn't shed the feeling that he should have found a different solution to this situation, but just as none had come earlier, none came while he pretended to be engulfed in his book.

 

Eleanor found the Commodore near their defensive walls and called him “Commodore Chamberlain,” the man turning, his eyes falling on Eleanor and Max and making him cringe, having half a mind to just let them stand there and ignore them. “Yes?” and what made to his ears then, made him regret his choice not to do so.

Eleanor started “The caravan...” and Max stopped her, not certain how she should phrase it but determined to make the man see reason “There is something amiss.”

“Oh really?” Chamberlain could see something was amiss, he was kept from doing his job by two women he did not want to have to listen to. But in the absence of the governor, it fell to him and so he at least had to acknowledge their issues “Something is amiss? Now let me be sure I have this right,” it truly was priceless, not twenty-four hours ago he was told everything was going according to plan, earlier today, everything went according to plan, and now all of a sudden something was amiss. He wondered how Rogers could put up with this kind of nonsense.

“So the plan to recover the stolen cache of gems, your plan to recover the stolen cache of gems has worked in exactly the manner you suggest it would,” he contemplated Max and then Eleanor and then Max again “Correct me if I am wrong, but it did work as planned, or did I miss something? I do not believe I did. And now you believe this is a bad thing... Evidence of a plan to rescue Mr. Rackham and once again recover the cache of gems... That's it, right?” he turned towards Ltn. Utley and snorted “That is what they are suggesting, right?”

Max didn't give anyone the chance to reply for her “I can understand why this may be hard to believe, but I know Anne Bonny well enough to know that it is a certainty that something here is amiss,” Chamberlain interrupted her “It is a certainty? Now it is a certainty?” and then went through different stages of amusement, aggravation and fed-upness while listening to her continue with her insanities “That her behaviour should coincide with the presence of Captain Flint on the island not long ago most certainly points to a plot being underway.”

“I beg your pardon?” it was becoming hilarious, now it was Flint. Next it would be Teach and Vane if he let her continue with her delusions. “So now Captain Flint is somehow involved in this plot despite the fact his ship left the island yesterday and has not been seen since? And I am to redeploy men into the interior, away from Nassau Town, leaving their positions undefended?”

Eleanor had enough “I'm sorry, are you suggesting there is some ulterior motive here?”

“I am suggesting that simply because the governor has chosen to put his...” he narrowed his eyes, letting them move up and down Eleanor with a bit too much disdain but it was hard to resist when she came and bothered him like this “...trust in you, I most certainly have no intentions of doing the same.” He heard the sharp intake from Utley, but he couldn't care less “The situation is well in hand. Thank you for your concern.”

“Well in hand? I am telling you the situation is potentially about to get entirely out of hand.”

That was the last straw, those women seemed not to understand a couple of things, apparently they had been surrounded by idiots who were incompetent, not to mention they had to be talked to like children “You're not fucking hearing me... Even if someone wanted to move against the governor's caravan, they wouldn't know where to find the governor's caravan.” He wasn't certain he saw that reality dawn on their faces but continued “The route was altered multiple times... False schedules were distributed... Nobody knows exactly when they were set to leave... Nobody knows what route they finally decided upon... Nobody knows wh...”

“I know,” Max couldn't keep a bit of satisfaction out of her face when she saw him open and close his mouth “I know the route... A boy in my employ saw your scouts on the west trail road late last night. That is it, is it not? I am assuming you did not send men to scout the decoy routes?”

“Did you tell anyone what your boy has told you?”

Max had not even given it a real second thought when he had informed her, had only told him not to say a word about it and that was that. “No.”

“Good. Then we have nothing to fucking worry about.”

Eleanor snorted “You cannot be serious, Commodore, at least send half a dozen men after them, just in case th...”

“I said good day, _ladies_ ,” he turned and walked away before they could steal some more time from him.

 

While Anne and Max had run into a wall with Chamberlain and Eleanor went off to find someone who would listen to her, Jack had rummaged about what Woodes had said, about some people always hoping for an outcome impossible to come to pass, and it sat bad with him. Who the hell did he think he was to judge others and proclaim what their hopes and dreams were supposed to be.

“My father was a tailor, in Leeds,” Woodes looked up as the silence was interrupted “as was his father and his father's father.” Sitting up a little straighter and closing his book, Woodes' attention settled on the man with him as he continued “Time was if a man on the Avondale Road asked where he might find the finest clothes in northern England, he was pointed toward a shop of a man called Rackham.”

Woodes smiled, wondering what Jack had in mind, because men like Rackham did not bring up stories without a motive, a sense behind them and Jack was happy he had the man's attention. “Then the men who sell wool decide they'd prefer not to compete with the men who imported fine cotton... And as the men who sell wool have the ears of the men who make laws, an embargo is enacted to increase profits and calico disappears... And my father's business that he inherited from his father and his father's father begins to wither and die... And my father suffers the compound shame of financial failure seen through the eyes of his son and descended into drink...”

Placing his book away next to him, Woodes continued listening to Jack's voice, Jack's story “I'd sit beside him as a boy at the Sunday service as he shouted at the pastor, at the altar - at anyone who would listen, really – at the injustice of it all... And I'd put my arm over his shoulder as the insults began, help carry him out of the church.” Jack snickered darkly “God, the insults... At his funeral, our neighbours were kind enough to whisper them rather then call them out loud” and closed his eyes, not quite believing he was actually talking about such a dark time in his life with Woodes Rogers. It didn't seem to matter anymore, and he didn't read any contempt or mocking in his eyes, rather a genuine interest in the story he was being told, making it easier to continue 

“So, I set to work, determined to rebuild what had been taken away... I was thirteen years old. But I was determined... Until a man arrived at my door claiming to hold debts belonging to my father... Debts accumulated as my father drank... Debts he claimed that now belonged to me... Debts I could not possibly have hoped to repay... Debts over which this man would have seen me imprisoned, imprisoned in a place where the debts would have been discharged only through hard labour...” Jack laughed “Hard labour with no wages, working at – wait for it – the production of textiles.” 

Shaking his head at his captor, Jack snorted “ _You people, incapable of accepting the world as it is_ says the man to whom the world handed everything.” Jack held Woodes' angry gaze and didn't let himself get deterred of offering the man his mind, all of it, he wanted him to know that this race was a tight one and not won yet. “If no Anne, if no rescue, if this is defeat for me, then know this... You and me were neck to neck in this race right 'till the end...” he ignored the intent staring he received from the other man, to hell with his Lordship, he needed to be told “But Jesus, did I make up a lot of ground to catch you.”

 

Stares was something Eleanor received too, not as dangerously intense as Jack, but Hornigold gave her a look as if she was some dead bug in his drink. He was the only one who could help her, who had the means and the power to help her, and she'd be damned if she let everything go to hell just because the man didn't like her “Fuck your pride! If I can swallow mine to be standing here, you'll do the fucking same to listen. Because if you and I can't figure out a way to work together in this moment, everything may be lost.”

Hornigold chuckled haughtily as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed and not very inclined to listen to anything she had to say. It was bad enough the governor listened to what lies and deception came out of that mouth, he wouldn't let her wrap him around her finger and do her every bidding. “It seems that is not all you have been _swallowing_ lately, Miss Guthrie.”

“Jesus Hornigold, really?” if she didn't need his help she would slam the bottle on his head, but he was the last hope she had, which was bitter enough “As we speak, the governor is on his way on a secret route, with Jack Rackham and the cache, to see them aboard a ship to Havana. And with Flint having been...”

Hornigold waved her to stop “A secret caravan to move Rackham to a secret transport, and no one knows about this, but you?”

Eleanor snorted, happy to fill him in on who was more important than him “Me, the governor, his cabinet, eight dragoons, their quartermaster, the carriage driver, the horses... Plenty of people know about it, just not you.”

“And you believe there is a plot underway to attack this secret caravan... A plot that somehow involves Captain Flint, whom everyone saw sail into open waters...”

“Jesus, Chamberlain can ignore this, he doesn't know me, he doesn't know Bonny, he doesn't know Flint. Now, if it turns out that I am right about this, he'll look like a fool, but at least his ignorance of the players involved will be some defence... If you choose to ignore me, it will be far harder for you to find an excuse.”

“I watched it depart, the Walrus. Had a man with a glass watching her set sail, watching her clear the horizon and disappear...” he frowned “Except for the glints of light,” reading incomprehension on her face he supplemented “I had my man keep his glass to the spot on the horizon where the Walrus disappeared. And roughly every fifteen minutes, he reported seeing glints of light from her last position.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“It could mean nothing, random artifact of sunlight off the water... Or it could be the reflection of a spyglass upon one of her masts, the ship beneath bare poles, waiting silently invisibly, for a signal to return... I beat him, and then I watched him return from the dead t negate my victory, to watch his partner murder mine and aggravate the affront...” he had thought the man dead and then he came back, killing Dufresne and who cared it had been Silver committing the deed. They were the same those two. And he would bring them both down. “You and I have our history, but Flint and I have unfinished business of a far more serious sort,” he pushed himself up “I will go and investigate it, and if that is Flint, then I will make sure to take him out – permanently this time.”

As Hornigold lifted anchor, a group of riders lead by Flint and Vane was quickly pushing forward, crossing through the land and only waiting to lay eyes upon their prize. 

 

Inside the caravan, the air had severely chilled down, Woodes glaring at Jack, asking him “You think the world has been that kind to me? That I am that much softer? That much more fortunate?” If the man truly believed that, than he was sorely mistaken and very wrong. He may have been more fortunate then others, but Woodes had always fought for what was now his, and this kind of condemnation, he would not put up with. 

Before he could tell Jack that though, the pirate continued, laughing haughtily “Oh you're not? Now let's see... Wealthy family, inherited daddy's shipping business, married rich... I read your book...”

“But there are things that you leave out of the book...” Woodes crossed his arms, his head slightly cocked while a dangerous little smirk appeared on his lips “Things you leave out because if it got around polite society what you are capable of when being pushed, they might stop inviting you to their dinner parties... All you know about me is what I want you to know.”

Jack read Woodes' face, the expression, that certain something that was illuminating his eyes and he nodded, grinning even wider “And there it is... Finally...”

Woodes didn't understand what Jack could possibly mean by that “What is?”

“That look in your eyes, that expression... The wolf is finally showing his fangs, under all that clean, proper,” he waved amused “lordishly impeccable appearance there slumbers something else altogether. I saw it before, glimpses of it, but here, right now, it just roared for a split second showing its existence...Wow Woodes,” he grinned while getting as comfortable as possible on his side of the carriage “You are not better than any of us... You dress up, pretend to be all manners, etiquette and noblesse, when in truth you fit the villain just as good as any pirate. Are capable of deeds just as gruesome and deviant as we are.”

Woodes kept his gaze impassible and then smirked arrogantly “Perhaps you are right,” stretching his legs he too got more comfortable, this discussion was certainly entering interesting waters. He would probably have to shoot the men who were with him afterwards, which was an amusing thought and made him chuckle, Jack asking “What now?”

Woodes leaned closer to Jack, making him shiver a little, that intense gaze, this close to his was even more disturbing than from the other side of the carriage. And Woodes' voice, a whisper as to not have the guards hear what he was about to say, made goosebumps appear “I was just thinking how I would have to silence the guards after this ride, can't have them knowing that there is not much I would not be willing to do. What would my cabinet think?”

Jack gulped “Yeah well, that makes me think of Ned Low,” seeing Woodes look at him quizzically he elaborated “A pirate Captain, of the Fancy... Killed his quartermaster over some dispute at the tavern... In front of everyone... With a dagger,” he made a motion at his throat, the chains rattling a little “Cut off his head...”

Woodes' eyes widened and Jack nodded “Yeah, very messy business, very messy... And when Eleanor appeared and told him to get the fuck out, he killed her guard for good measure... Stabbed him through the throat and threatened Eleanor... Charles Vane killed him, it's what he does when it comes to Eleanor, idiot really, beheaded him and killed all of his crew... Planted his head on the beach with a note that said he had angered him. Quite the message that sent.” He snickered “Fucking Chuck, always makes me laugh with his shit.”

Woodes had not beheaded anyone yet, probably wasn't as easy as one could think, he had done other things though, and right now he felt like sharing them with Jack “Beheading, that I have not done yet, but you are right... I am capable of such acts, and probably would behead someone should the need arise...”

There wasn't much about it in the book, no details, so Jack asked, having a little idea “That unfortunate day, off the coast of Mexico?”

Woodes nodded “When the smoke cleared and I realized what had happened, what I had lost...”

Jack interrupted him “Is that were those,” he pointed at his face “scars come from?”

Idly letting his fingers ghost over them, Woodes nodded again “We had routed her, it was but a self-evidence that we had her, her colours should have been struck but then...” he frowned remembering that day as if it had been yesterday “I was standing at the helm with my brother, already discussing our victory,” he swallowed “It shouldn't have been possible... A shot at that angle from one of her stern-chasers, it should not have been possible... And yet...”

Jack watched him intently, trying to filter through all the emotions that played on the man's face, he would probably never get a chance again to read him that easily, the pain and rage flashing up in his eyes for a brief second before he continued “They hit us good, all I can remember is my brother warning me and then nothing... Everything, boom,” he made a motion with the hand “Wood bursting and flying everywhere, the intensity of all propelling anything and everyone just away...”

“When I came back, only a few seconds later, there was only pain and devastation... Men screaming... Everywhere only chaos...” He looked away, out of the window, sighing “And my brother laying dead by my side... What came then was...” he snorted “was the logical conclusion to it all... I couldn't let them get away with that... And didn't let them...”

“No you didn't.”

What had happened had not been easy to explain, the slaughter of everyone but one to crawl back and tell his masters, the terror his crew had felt not when confronted with the Spanish but with what they had unleashed in their captain. The way his wife had looked at him, not only at his scars but as if she had never known him. It had cost him dearly. “Half of my crew left me the second we lay anchor... They ran away, without as much as a gaze back, as if the devil was after them.”

“It is hard to find good personnel, believe me, I know...” there was something more that was bothering Jack though, one question that had arisen and that he had to ask “Why choose privateering?”

“Beg pardon?”

“Why not piracy instead of privateering... Instead of having to explain yourself for what comes naturally to you, to some you probably don't even like, it would help build you a reputation. Of course fancy dinners with polite society would be out of the question, but some of us definitely have a certain style and class.”

“Am I hearing you right? Are you asking me to join your side?”

“It never is too late, and you could leave that inner predator of yours out more often... You wouldn't have to hide him, pretend to be someone you clearly and undoubtedly are not.”

“Are you trying to bribe me, Jack? That could get you the noose.”

“I think we are past propriety, are we not Woodes... I mean you are taking me to my executioners, why not try to sway you. What worse could possibly happen to me?”

Woodes considered Jack for a moment and then shook his head, amused “I fear I have to pass, as tempting as it sounds.” And it did, not on all accounts, but that administrative nightmare he was confronted with, insurance companies, advisers, the Commodore, if he had the possibility to send them all to the depths of the ocean, it would probably not cost him much overcoming to do so.


	8. Chapter 07 - V.-III

In the absence of Woodes, Eleanor was keeping an eye on things, and with Hornigold out checking what really was out there, she could concentrate on her role. Or what she perceived as her role. There was nothing else for her to do anyway, knitting was only amusing that long and she would not waste her time away, sitting lazily around and waiting for her man to come back. She stopped at Max's office, wondering if she should take a room here, too many times had she been in there in the past twenty-four hours. But right now she had no one to talk to and Max would at least understand her worries. She closed the door, Max raising her eyebrows as she came closer and sighed “Six more of them have fallen ill. There's now a a total of fourteen reported cases.”

Max immediately knew what Eleanor was talking about, she had heard the rumours too, seen men carried out to a warehouse “Are any of them mortal?”

“Not yet, but our forces are dwindling, and it will get worse before it gets better,” and there was no cure, nothing that could be done, they would have to suffer through it and hope not too many would perish. And that was not the only thing that nagged her “Meanwhile, Flint is out there somewhere, committed to waging war against us.” She couldn't believe Flint had proven her assumption that he was a reasonable person wrong, not an ounce of sense he had shown when talking to Rogers, and she was certain Woodes had been reasonable and forthcoming. Flint would be planing something massive, and with Silver, Vane, hell Teach on his side, it would not be something small. It was another war they had at their doorstep next to the one with Spain, which was still a probability.

If something went wrong today, with the cache and Rackham, they would have to form a plan B, and fast “And soon news will return to Nassau as to whether Rackham and his money are on their way to Havana. And if they aren't, if you and I are right, if something happened and Hornigold's cavalry weren't in time to stop it, then in addition to everything else, we will be at war with Spain.”

It was good to hear that at least Hornigold had listened to their concerns, but they had bigger problems, much bigger problems and Max wanted Eleanor to understand that “If you and I were right and something went wrong with the governor's caravan, I fear there is something even more unsettling we are about to face.”

“What is that?”

“You and I will be immune to this disease, for it will only attack those unfamiliar to this place...You and I know Flint and we can fight him... You and I, though outmatched, at least know what Spain is and can make best efforts to confront whatever they may send our way... But there is nothing more dangerous than the unfamiliar enemy,” and it all gave the impression they were facing just that. “If the governor's caravan was attacked, it means someone knew where to find it. It means our secrets are no longer ours. It means there is a spy among us.”

Nothing was proven yet, but Eleanor had a hard time imagining they would not end up being right on this one. Not after Max had opened her eyes about Anne's strange reaction. Not after Hornigold had spoken about that mysterious light. They had been blindly running into a trap, subtly woven around them without anyone even given it a thought. “If there is a spy among us, we need to find him, and eliminate him.” She would not let someone ruin her life, ruin Woodes' life just because they couldn't understand that Nassau as a pirate republic did not exist anymore. 

 

Max could not have been more right with her assessment, it had been a dangerous and delicate operation, but Flint, Vane and the rest were mere minutes behind the caravan and were closing in on them fast. 

The caravan was half way through the journey, Woodes coughing and apologizing himself for it, and hoping he was not going to be the next man taken down by the disease and ending up with the warehouse as residence. Jack who had been reflecting upon the temptation that Woodes had spoken about, and what it would take to sway the man to the 'black', narrowed his eyes at him “You should have that checked, as I heard when I came back to Nassau, some of your men are already sick and it would be a...”

“I am alright, you need not worry,” he had to admit he was a little worried, he had started feeling a little weird earlier on, but had put it on all the tension he had had in his life lately, his body telling him that those elevated stress-levels were not healthy. He made a mental note to go and have Dr. Marcus have a look at him once he would get back to Nassau to make sure it wouldn't break out. He couldn't fall ill, he simply did not have the time to do that, not to mention there was a good chance he could die of it in the process, which was not a very nice thought.

“I've seen many men die, the island has a way of rooting out the weak, those it does not want.”

Woodes laughed “Or it may only be coincidence as to who gets infected and who doesn't, a mere draw of fortune,” which given his case lately, probably did not bode well for him. “I knew there was a very high probability my men would fall ill, and some would die, it was a calculated risk...”

“Even if it is you?”

“Even if it is me, I would not be pleased, can't imagine anyone would be, but it always has been a possibility,” not that he truly believed he would end up infected, it wasn't his first trip to these waters, and until he had always been lucky. “Without a bit of risk there can't be a reward.”

Jack sat back up straight, giving Woodes an intent look and then grinning, finally asked what had been on his mind “So what would it take to tempt you to our side?” seeing him quizzically raise his eyebrows he elaborated “You said it was tempting but you would pass... To join us? So what else would we have to offer to make it impossible for you to pass?”

“You're not giving up, do you? What do you want to achieve by that? That I stop this caravan and take you and the chest to a place of your choosing, let you go... Maybe join your crew?” It was a ludicrous thought and he couldn't honestly believe Woodes would give everything up to become a criminal, hunted by England. “The mere idea is...”

Woodes couldn't finish his thought, one of the guard yelling “Riders...” and one look through the back-window confirming that indeed, there was a group of riders heading straight for them. He locked eyes with Jack who only smirked with an “I told you so”-face, in his heart no doubt that was Anne's rescue party heading straight for them, for him. It was extremely satisfying to keep the upper hand on this, to have proven the other man wrong despite his best efforts. To have managed to see through all the secrecy and end up with this outcome – the most unlikely of all. 

Shouting out orders, Woodes suddenly hated himself for his own arrogance, he should have taken more men with him, should have had a second party following them, should have envisioned this as a possibility, no matter how small the chance had been. He didn't have much time to fret on the issue, Jack did not waste any time, the cold iron of his shackles wrapping around Woodes' throat and the air being cut from his lungs interrupting his reeling mind. 

It was never good to let emotions take over, to carry them into a fight, but Jack's move pissed Woodes off on so many levels he forgot about the riders. All he could think of was ripping Rackham apart for having believed he could try to strangle him without a retaliation. First he wanted to recruit him and now he was trying to kill him, apparently things changed fast in the man's universe.

Jack knew the governor would never voluntarily give up, he would have to be convinced, and unfortunately Woodes was a better fighter than he was of that he had little doubt. Jack had always stayed as much out of fights as humanly possible, he didn't like it, and usually Charles and Anne were enough to eliminate any threat. This was on him alone though, he had the chance to take him out of the picture, and as nice as their little chit-chat had been, as good as he looked, they were still enemies and his life was on the line. He had to keep Woodes from gaining the upper-hand, had to weaken him enough that he would be busy with other things than giving orders. 

Unfortunately, just as Jack had predicted, Woodes was not nearly ready to let him win. And after an initial moment of surprise, he was now back in the game, trying to get him to loosen his grip, which given their positions and the jerking of the carriage was easier said than done.

Woodes tried to elbow Jack who pushed his knee harder into his back keeping him from getting enough leverage. He finally ended up fed up and started to punch back in all earnest, one punch hitting Jack straight in the face, making him loosen his grip and allowing Woodes to slip away under the shackles. It did some good to release some of his frustration on the man, punching him and knocking him out. He didn't have time to waste on Rackham, it was their attackers he had to take out, and once they would be dealt with, he would show Jack just how much he was keeping from people, just how ruthless he could get when pushed. He took this as a personal affront, and was ready to paint the world around him in blood. That someone would give up the secret route was unimaginable, it just was incomprehensible how they had been found. It was simply impossible, like that shot from the stern-chasers years back. 

He joined the soldiers outside, cocking his gun and aiming at their assailants, shot one down. He had the impression it wouldn't do that much good, the group was large, this was more than just Anne Bonny with a few men, of that he was certain. She must have had friends, and he suddenly wondered who was hiding under those face-masks. The guard next to him got shot, and Woodes thanked his good fortune that it had not been him, it didn't do him any good though, a bullet grazing his leg as he was trying to get hold of another, loaded gun. Woodes didn't have the time to concentrate on the warm liquid he could feel run down his leg, he hardly felt anything anyway with all the adrenaline and rage shooting through his body. 

Flint had started to reload his gun, not exactly easy when on the back of a horse, but seeing Vane shoot the wheel and the carriage starting to careen he slowed his ride down, watching it all unfold with a mix of glee and worry, after all Rackham was still in that carriage too.

Woodes felt the carriage turn over before it happened, it didn't do him any good though, there was nothing he could do to change his fate from the position he was in. He was propelled away and landed hard on his side, every breath punched out of his lungs and pain burning up everywhere in his body as he rolled over several times. For a split second panic constructed his chest even more, his mind conjuring up another world, a world where he was back in the past on his ship off the coast of Mexico. He could hear the bursting of the wood as it was ripped apart, the screams of the crew and his brother's warning, too late to do them much good. 

Ending on his chest, he tried to inhale but his lungs protested, so he tried to roll over, his mind exploding when he opened his eyes and the sun hit them. His groan attracted Flint's attention who stood over his despised governor faster than lightning, his sword placed on his chest.

“Well well well, seems you were right. You aren't some backwater magistrate, you actually get your hands dirty yourself.” 

Pain shot up Woodes' arm as he tried to reach for his sword, Flint's sword pressing harder against his chest. It didn't truly matter, his arm was definitely broken and moving it would be very difficult, especially when lying on the floor, having a hard time breathing. “Get it over with,” this wasn't the way he wanted to die, but right now there was no way he could get out of this. They had won, he had thought his plan infallible and they had proven him wrong. It hurt, it angered him but he was man enough to admit when he was defeated.

Flint pondered his next actions, killing Rogers would bring an end to his regime, his men would run with their tails between their legs back to England and Nassau would be easy to take back, and still, that idea did not sit as well with him as he would have imagined it would. This was not killing someone in the heat of the battle, and seemed like a cowardly act. If he took governor Rogers down, he would do it when the man could defend himself, not when he had just gone through a carriage accident. 

“Ouch, ouch,” Jack's complaining voice sounded over the area, Charles and Billy pulling him out of the carriage with Anne hoovering over them, relief clearly written all over her face as Jack continued whining “Watch it... Ouch...”

“Oh shut up,” Anne felt such a relief to see Jack alive, a little bruised and battered but alive “You're alive, stop complaining like a baby.” She hugged him, making him complain again “Jesus Anne, why save me only to torture me afterwards?” and then immediately started moving him towards her horse. 

Billy and Charles started to pull the chest out, handing it to two crew members who immediately secured it. Flint looked from Woodes who was still panting heavily on the floor to them “It seems I've won, and you lost everything...”

Woodes snorted “I made a mistake,” coughing interrupting him for a moment, Flint pulling back his sword a little, it would be a shame if the man ended up spearing himself up “And you took advantage of it...”

Flint contemplated all the choices that were left to him, Billy asking “What are you waiting for? We need to get out of here.”

“I know,” every second longer they stayed was one too much but some decisions needed a moment's reflection. It wasn't every day he had Nassau's governor at his mercy, governor who had told him all bets were off.

The decision was taken away from him by Jack, who had been helped onto Anne's horse and was making her move closer. “Don't,” he was looking like a wreck but was still capable of waving his hand around “Don't kill him... Just think about it. We'll have me, the cash and the governor.”

Flint snarled “You've got to be kidding me,” he may have been hesitant to end Rogers' life, and there weren't that many other options, but hearing it spoken out loud made it sound like a bad idea, like a very bad idea. His men would probably come after them in full force, the cache and Rackham were bad enough, but abducting the governor, the longer he pondered it, the better it actually started to sound, and maybe it just wasn't that bad of an idea after all. It most certainly would cripple Nassau to have its ruler gone, in the hands of the enemy.

Vane's loud snort echoed Anne's opinion of the matter, who gave Flint a look as if he had lost his mind for even thinking about it “You hit your head. He's the enemy, just kill him... Will send a powerful message.”

Jack saw an opening “Not as much as if we have him to bargain with. I mean come on, the empire won't let this fly, the Spanish won't let it fly, and Eleanor...” that had the merit to get Charles' attention “Just imagine how pissed she will be. All of her pretty little plans fucked in one go, no governor, no _husband_ \- no man at her side. And all the options on our side, our camp dictating what happens next.”

Woodes mind needed a moment to assess what was being said around him, and mainly about him, the blood rushing in his ears and his ribs killing him, rage slowly washing through him and a last sparkle of energy making him kick Flint away. It wouldn't have worked had the man not been distracted, and he doubted it would help him a lot, but at least he would not be laying on the floor, at Flint's mercy. He wanted to get his chances evened out again, dying was one thing – inevitable -, becoming a bargaining chip would ruin everything he had build up.

Standing proved difficult, his bleeding leg buckling out for a second as pain shot through it, but the worst was his left arm, leaving him just one arm to defend himself against two, three assailants.

“For fuckin' sakes, Rogers,” Jack made Anne move the horse between the man and the pirates who were ready to finish him off “Lay down your weapon... You're in no condition to fight them, and I can promise you I know what I am talking about... You have a chance at coming out of this alive, don't ruin it.” He suddenly didn't want the man to die, at least not here, not like this, not when the outcome of the fight was already written this clearly. 

Woodes eyes narrowed at Jack “I will never lay down my arms, not like this, I won't lose like this” there was no chance in hell that he would give up, he just couldn't. He needed the chest and Rackham to go to Havana or his life would be as good as over anyway.

“You already lost,” Flint pushed past the horse “And I would feel like a coward if I finished you here and now, while you are hardly able of holding your sword... I am not a man who likes his opponents weakened... Besides, Nassau needs us, maybe there could be also a place for you in it.” James wasn't sure what made those words come over his lips, hell he wasn't even sure he truly meant them, but he had never taken Rogers for how he had so lovely put it a backwater magistrate. That he would be this resilient he wouldn't have believed either. Sure there had been the book and the talk, but he had taken it for shallow gossip. “At least let us put our differences aside against the Spanish threat. After that, we can still see what will happen.”

Anne looked from Jack who smiled idiotically behind her, to Flint and then mumbled “And now the both of you have lost your mind. Chaz', say something.”

Charles didn't have time to give her a reply, Woodes spitting at Flint “There's ever only been a Spanish threat because of you...” Spain would have never been able of blackmailing him if the pirates had not thought it a good idea to steal their gold from them. They had brought the threat to Nassau, not him, not England. “And now that I could bury the matter, you take away my only means to do so... For someone claiming he wants only the best for Nassau, you act pretty carelessly.”

Vane was scouting the horizon, not even reacting to Anne using Jack's nickname for him, only clapped his hands, ignoring Woodes altogether “Whatever we decide, it should happen fast. We better not be found here.”

Woodes turned around, hoping to see more of his men, and the next thing he knew, he received a punch to the face that knocked him out cold in one strike. “Let's go,” Flint pulled Rogers' limp body onto a horse and Vane mounted his, shaking his head as they got moving “This is crazy.”

“But Jack's got a point. We can still kill him later, for now we have their governor as our hostage, it will give us leverage,” turning towards Billy, he asked “What are you waiting for?”

Billy mounted his horse, making a head-motion in the direction of Nassau “Someone should stay here, to continue to gather information... And remind them of us from time to time.”

Flint didn't like the idea of anyone staying behind, in an hour at latest all hell would break lose, and it would be best if they were all gone, instead of risking capture and hanging. “Billy, that is...” 

He had given it a good, long thought and it was the only thing that seemed logical to Billy, someone had to stay back and keep an eye on things, and he had done it before without raising any attention “That is what needs to be done... With the governor gone, they will need a moment to decide what course of action to take. Someone needs information, needs to stay in touch with the people, the agents.”

“He's right,” Charles wanted to leave as fast as possible, this discussing shit that needed none was slowly grating his already stretched nerves “We need eyes and ears on the inside, and means to get to them.”

“Alright,” Flint had to agree that it would be all benefits, very dangerous but beneficial “Make sure to stay out of sight, Billy.”

Billy knew what he had to do, he still had enough acquaintances in Nassau to get things rolling and make it even more difficult for the governor, or rather his men, since the governor was out of the game for the moment. He watched them take off, heading off into the opposite direction to the Barlow house.

 

On the ride to the beach, Flint watched the man laying across the saddle, wondering what the fuck they had done and what this would unleash. One thing was certain though, he would be a valuable pawn to force Nassau to accept the deal they'd ultimately offer them. If they offered them any. Right now everything was in movement, the cards newly shuffled and the hand they had been given was just what they had needed. An important victory after losing Nassau. The question remaining would be how to proceed from now, question he wouldn't find any answers to today. What mattered in the immediate was getting to the row-boats and aboard the Walrus, and then get the hell out of there. It wouldn't take very long for them to notice that something was amiss, at latest when the caravan won't arrive at its estimated time. And then all hell would break lose, they had to be long gone by then. 

 

Eleanor was pacing the wall of the fort, giving Chamberlain a headache without even addressing him. “Enough, this...” he waved at her derisively “...pacing is not helping in any way.”

“You will feel sorry if something happened, and....”

“I may not be in agreement with the governor on many subjects, but one thing I know. Woodes Rogers is an accomplished tactician and fighter, whatever may or may not happen on that journey, I am most certain he will be able of dealing adequately with it.”

“You have no idea who he will have to go against or you would not be so sure.”

“So you are calling him weak? Incapable? Incompetent? Which bares the question why you are throwing yourself in his arms and his bed... If you believe his enemies to be superior to him.”

She couldn't believe Chamberlain started in that direction now “What Woodes... Governor Rogers and I feel for each other is only our business, Commodore... And I did not say he was weak, I said Flint has the means to become dangerous, especially with the chest and Rackham to protect and only eight dragoons with him.”

“In that case it should comfort you that Ltn. Utley convinced me to send another party after them. So if something happens, there will be a rearguard to intervene.”

It didn't exactly comfort her, but it calmed her screaming nerves a little “At least one of you still has some sense in him.” Now that rearguard only had to arrive on time to prevent whatever was going to happen. And Hornigold needed to find the source for the strange light. 

 

The pirates' ride had taken them roughly under half an hour, and after leaving the horses at the edge of the beach and getting everyone in the long-boat, they rowed towards the Walrus. It seemed they all had impeccable timing, De Groot finally letting out all the air he had been holding, Hornigold was getting a closer and they wouldn't have been able of waiting for any longer.

The looks they received when they arrived on the ship were priceless. Silver's mouth was opening and then closing again, the whole process repeating while his hand rubbed his beard, eyes on the unconscious man laying on the planks. It was Madi who interrupted the silence, sounding not less surprised when she stated matter-of-factly “That is Woodes Rogers.”

Flint nodded, smirking “Blame that on Rackham, his idea.”

“By the gods, you have gone completely mad, all of you,” De Groot wanted to kill them all, but they had bigger fish to fry and as much as he would love to discuss this extremely surprising development, Hornigold was coming for them and they needed to get out “Hornigold found us,” and with all the discontent he could master he added “Maybe Rogers can keep him from coming after us, but it doesn't look as if he were very talkative at the moment.”

“The fuck you are saying,” Vane's eyes narrowed on the man and then followed his hand, discerning sails at the large. “Shit,” that kicked Flint into motion, pointing at the chest and Woodes “Get them below deck and get us on the way, full sails.”

They were transported down to the hold, Jack glad Anne helped him down the stairs and then motioning to be taken to the same room Rogers and chest had been thrown in. “You hit your head?”

“No, I need to rest, and I want to stay with the chest... That chest will not go out of my sight again... Plus,” he hissed as his body protested a little “someone needs to calm him down once he wakes. Because I have a feeling he will not be pleased to be our guest. Not pleased at all.”

“He's our enemy, he should not be pleased.”

“Yes, but he's...” seeing Anne's incredulous eyes he shook his head “Believe me... He could have treated me a lot worse, not that he was particularly nice, but he kept me well fed and,” he sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall and stretched his legs “he kept me company. We talked a little... He's not your regular English goon, he has something in him... The same we have...”

“Oh please,” Anne cleaned the wounds in his face, rubbing a little harder than she had to but Jack was not making much sense. Unless, she turned his head and gazed into his eyes “You find him hot, admit it.”

“What????” all Jack could do was stutter, trying to deny while admitting it with a multitude of “yes, no, yes” and then his eyes moving to the man in question, laying unconsciously on the floor “I mean he is not hard to look at, but no... That has nothing to do with it.”

“Uhuh,” Anne rolled her eyes and wondered if she should throw Rogers into the sea right now or wait for the man to at least be conscious to feel it, which would be a lot more rewarding. 

“Honestly, he is attractive, I won't lie to you, and I may have had thoughts about him,” seeing her frown with disgust he snorted “Hours and hours alone in a cell, no, not completely alone but my company wasn't very talkative... Furry though... And a good listener...” he noticed he was drifting away from the actual subject and shrugged “Well, just to say, I was intellectually under-challenged so my mind wandered towards my captor, but I assure you I still see him as our enemy, not only, but also that.”

“We're going in circles here.”

“Hopefully only here,” Jack could do without another battle this soon after having survived a carriage ride from hell. “How did Hornigold find them anyway?”

Finishing to clean Jack's face she rolled her eyes “How the fuck should I know, I was busy saving your ass, remember.”

“And I will be forever grateful that you did,” he squeezed her hand, sighing “I knew you would try something... I did not know what, but I knew you would not let me and the cache go that easily.”

Flint came in, looking at Rogers with a strange expression, and then nodded at Jack “How are you feeling?” He hadn't had time to go into Jack's state after his liberation, and that carriage crash had been violent. Riding miles behind Anne probably had not helped either, and they all knew that Jack was not the roughest of them. 

Jack nodded while leaning back on the chair he was sitting on “I am feeling extremely grateful, I was just telling Anne, you people showed me today that I am not alone in the world, that is good to know...”

“Seriously Jack?” he pouted a little at Anne and then said “Yes, you stood up for me, not only for me but also the cache, I get that, but you came for me that is all that matters.”

“We need you in this war, that is why we came... It was Vane's plan actually... And Anne's...” his eyes moved back to Woodes and he contemplated him a moment before he sighed “We need to have Howell take a look at him... Would be a shame to have the governor only to let him die...”

“A great shame indeed,” Anne slapped Jack on the head, making him complain again and Flint shake his head, leaving them, not quite sure he wanted to know what that had been about again. Not that the two needed much to start bickering and slapping each other, although when it came to slapping it was more Anne's doing, Jack was more on the receiving side of that. 

 

Silver looked at him, curious, when Flint entered the cabin “So, care to tell me why we have the governor below deck?”

“The retrieval of Jack and the cache had some unforeseeable side-effects,” now that John could see, it didn't explain how they came to be the captors of the governor of Nassau. Not that he minded, it was a nice development that would help them advance in their preparations for war more than they could see now, of that he was sure. Flint knew Silver deserved an answer so he sat on the edge of the desk and informed him “The carriage got overthrown, Rogers survived the fall, and Jack convinced us not to nail him to the remains of the carriage with a message.”

Silver smirked and James provided “Bonny and Vane's solution to the problem.”

“And yours?”

“I don't know, still don't...” when he had felt the man out on the beach, their little parley, he had seen in his eyes that their battle, their war would become a gruesome and merciless one. Rogers was dangerous, and he would rather have a man like him on his side then as an enemy, since that was not going to happen, he needed to be tamed and rendered inoffensive. Which he was now. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shrugging “We didn't have the time for long debates, so I decided to give us more time. We still can send his head to Nassau with a message...” he pointed out of the window “Or keelhaul him in front of Hornigold.”

John chuckled “Harsh...” he knew Flint had not many qualms when it came to violence, and Rogers had pissed him off on the beach, but a keelhauling under Hornigold's watch, now that took it to new levels. 

“He's the fucking governor... You didn't see the look I saw in his eyes, he's dangerous... The pardons are of the table, what does he have to offer us for his release? Nothing.”

“Nassau, he still has Nassau.”

“He has men in Nassau, nothing more... And what will they do without him?”

“Call for back-up from other colonies, with the cache and Rackham not going to Havana, they'll need more men and ships to defend Nassau from the Spanish... If they decide to stay...” John sat down and served himself a drink “How is our _esteemed_ guest doing by the way?”

Not wanting to think about the Spanish retaliation just yet, they had more pressing matters, he informed John of Rogers state “I've send Howell to check him out, and his state is relative... Apparently a bullet, a fall from a toppling carriage, a broken arm and probably several ribs don't calm his temper in the least... Had to punch his lights out or I would have had to kill him. Bastard didn't want to give up even though Vane and me stood before him, ready to finish him off.”

John watched Flint and could read all the rage in his face, Rogers had managed to get him truly angry, sentiment Silver could easily share with him, he wasn't particularly fond of the governor either. “Seems to me he is a lot like another _governor_ England send to tame Nassau.”

“Hilarious, Silver...” Flint lay down on the bunk and sighed, it did some good to rest a little, the soft swinging of the bed slowly lulling him into a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rackham finding Rogers hot does not mean that I decided they would be the pairing, sorry :)


	9. Chapter 08 - Possibilities...

While the rearguard found the carriage and the dead guards, a messenger quickly making his way back to Nassau, Hornigold was standing on his helm and was seething. He still couldn't believe what he had seen through the spyglass, it was so implausible that he had a hard time not imagining he was dreaming. When the long-boat had left the beach, he had known something bad was going on. Seeing Flint load the cache and Rackham onto the Walrus had made him hate the lead they had on him, but what had iced the blood in his veins had been the body that had followed. He couldn't believe they had the governor in their fangs, probably still alive even if he hadn't seen him move, but why would they take his body if he were dead. That wouldn't make any sense, so at least a little hope remained that they would get Rogers out of there alive.

Flint was slowly becoming a nuisance that needed to be taken care of, permanently. The man had more lives than a cat, and now he had the governor too. He had to hand it to Eleanor that she had raised the alarm, if he weren't here to follow them, they would have even bigger problems. At least he could make sure they kept an eye on the cache and Rogers, and maybe he could even engage the Walrus and bring an end to all of this.

***  
*

On the ship in question, Howell entered the hold and registering the situation, beelined towards Jack first, the following prodding and pulling not exactly well-received by the man “Stop... What is wrong with all of you... First you,” he pointed an accusatory finger at Anne “and now you, Howell... You don't alleviate my pain, people, you add to it.”

“That's bruised or broken ribs you have there, Jack...” since he had been pushing him away he couldn't quite tell which it was, but from the way Jack moved he seemed impaired a little. “And you should...”

“Yes, yes... Not my first time, and not looking forward to the healing process, but considering I crashed with a carriage, I believe I got pretty lucky,” he pointed at Rogers “Patch him up, he apparently didn't exactly land softly either... And was shot at... And punched... Prod him, he deserves to wake up and feel miserable too.” If Woodes had given up, the carriage wouldn't have toppled, right now Jack was starting to slide from grateful and relieved to spiteful and exhausted, all of the adrenaline finally wearing off and the realization of what he had gone through hitting home.

“You are an awful patient.”

“I am not your patient, nurse Bonny already took very well care of me,” Anne pulled a face at him and then punched him hard on the arm, Jack immediately wincing and whining, holding his arm “That is not nice, Anne.”

Considering Jack was still very capable of complaining, which to Howell was a clear sign that the man had indeed gotten lucky and would be back on his feet soon, he shifted his attention to their prisoner. Of all the people he would have imagined patching up today, the governor wasn't exactly top of the list. He turned him slowly onto his back, Woodes stirring softly as his coats were removed, Jack immediately snapping his fingers “The key for the chest... He must have it somewhere on him. Someone check the pockets of his coats.” 

Howell had some difficulty removing Woodes' shirt without jostling him too much, but in the end managed and started his assessment of the man's injuries. He clearly distinguish which side he had fallen on, several small cuts adorning all of his chest and back but the bruising mainly concentrating on his left side. 

Woodes, on his end, kept his eyes closed while he was manoeuvred around and slowly came back to life, and started an assessment of his own, the first question tormenting him was his location. He had spend enough time on ships to notice when he was on one, so that answered that. And slowly his memory came back, fighting its way through the pain that made it difficult to reflect. If he was on a ship, that either meant someone had taken him to Berringer and he was aboard the Lion, or he had been taken aboard Flint's ship. And hearing Rackham and laying on wooden planks made that the probable outcome. Which meant he was amongst enemies and in danger.

Jack's eyes drifted from Anne who waved the key she had found in his direction to Woodes, and his naked chest, and his broad shoulders, and then his view got obstructed by a coat that came flying to his face. Anne snorted at him “Really, Jack?”

“Oh come on, I was just checking...” his eyes moved back to Woodes and they locked with his, an angry storm brewing under the pained expression in those blue eyes, startling Jack. “Howell,” he pointed with his head at Rogers “Your patient...” 

Woodes had needed a moment to clear his mind and evaluate the situation he was in, those bastards had really abducted him. And he was not in any shape to do much against it, although that wouldn't stop him from trying. He tried to grab Howell by the throat, but warned by Jack, the doctor just pushed his arm back down and placed his free hand against his chest “Oh no, you don't, _governor_... You're not in any state to fight me, so I would suggest you don't try to aggravate your wounds...”

“Fuck you,” if those criminals believed one second he would be a docile and tamed prisoner, they were mistaken, mistaken gravely. He had come to Nassau to offer pardons, and all gratitude he received was people disrupting his plans, bringing war to his doorstep, attacking him and then kidnapping him. He remembered the discussion they had had over his beaten-down body, discussing his fate as if he had no say in it. He had gone through worse than this, and the last ones who had crossed him had paid it dearly. Woodes hissed through his teeth “I'll see you all hanging for this.”

It was just as Jack had predicted it would go, no one was happy to become a prisoner, and he had his own case to judge from, it would be amazing if the good governor would let them handle him the easy way. Even though he had to be in great pain, Jack assumed from his state to Woodes', he still had that rage burning in his eyes, blood-lust of a level he had rarely seen in people. And he was glad they had the man subdued and in custody.

Howell pushed down on Woodes' chest, pressing his palm against his broken rips, smirking when he winced “Yeah, see... This can go two ways, and both will end with you patched up. It is how I'll achieve it that differs greatly...”

Jack tried to reason with him “You'll end up recognizing the futility of your feeble attempts, Rogers... And even if you were to get out of here, with the three of us out of commission... How do you think you could make it off this ship, in the middle of the ocean, in your state? With Captains Flint, Vane and Silver and several dozens of our men aboard? Standing between you and whatever escape plan you'll hatch?” That would be amusing to witness, as far as he had seen from the glares people had send each other aboard, many were looking for a way to get rid of all their excess anger, he wouldn't want to be an escaping prisoner coming across any of them. 

Woodes could acknowledge that his immediate future looked grim, but that did not mean he would let them have there way with him. His pride may have taken a hit, but that did not mean that it had not stayed intact, on the contrary, the anger and indignation he was feeling only fuelled it. They would all feel extremely sorry for having partaken in this madness.

“As I see it, you can count yourself lucky that Flint sees the merit in keeping you alive... And that we're not as ruthless and blood-thirsty as you imagine us to be, and we're graciously offering to have our doctor have a look at you,” opening the chest and checking the content, adding a bit of insult to the injury but Jack wanted him to understand that as of this moment, shit was not in his hands anymore, on any level “So you definitely should let Howell finish what he came in here for, before Anne decides to imitate Flint and sends you back to dream-land.”

The look he received from Anne made him glare back, but unfortunately it seemed pretty obvious he was fighting a lost cause right now, he was in no condition to attempt to over-power them. Not in his state, he was painfully aware of that fact. Still didn't mean he had to like that a pirate who called himself doctor was touching him. 

“That arm won't set itself on its own,” Woodes frowned, indeed, and it wouldn't be neither pleasant nor easy to do it alone, hell, it wouldn't be with someone else doing it either, but he didn't trust that their so-called doctor had any idea of what he was actually doing. He wondered with his own doctor most of the time, and that man was educated and had the knowledge to account for. With this man, a pirate, he didn't truly trust him to have any notion of what he should be doing. 

Woodes tried to push himself up, Howell helping him when it became obvious it would take a little too long “Your ribs will need some time to mend too, I suppose you are as belligerent if not more as Captain Rackham was, so you don't have to inform me that you know, or whatever comment was about to come out of your mouth, I know you know...” Howell wanted to get this over and done with and then go back to do an inventory of all the medicine and ingredients and such he had, with Hornigold hot on their tail, he wanted to be prepared for when the battle would start. And not patch up their enemy. He was only doing it because saying no to Captain Flint was not something you did, and neither you did John Silver, and the two wanted the governor to be taken care of, so that was what he would do.

Sitting with his back against a barrel, Woodes breathed deeply in and out, bracing himself for what was to come, his eyes resting on Rackham “It seems our positions have greatly changed.”

“The jailer becoming the prisoner, and I cannot say that I regret that change in fortune, I was truly not looking forward to be shipped off to Havana to find an inglorious death.” 

“You prefer to see Nassau burn? Because that is...” Woodes coughed, pain shooting through his body and Howell stopped his _patients_ little chitchat “Alright, gentlemen...” he addressed Woodes “Let's get you finished first...” and then the both of them “...and then you guys can have whatever discussions you want.”

“Right,” Jack grumbled a little, using the moment to get a good look of a half-naked Woodes Rogers, a chance that would probably not come back that fast and Anne was busy brooding and not watching him, so at least he wouldn't be interrupted again. He looked good, under all of that proper English lord clothing, not as massive and defined as Vane for instance, but no one did. All in all, Jack enjoyed the view, not that anything would come from it, but for the moment he had nothing else to do, so why not indulge a little. 

Woodes tried to control his breathing, but once Howell was manipulating his arm and manoeuvring the bone back into place, the pain was so overwhelming it robbed him every sense, making him black out for a short moment, a sheen of sweat appearing on his face and chest. It was so humiliating to show weakness in front of the pirates, but he couldn't keep the groans in, not when everything hurt.

“We're nearly done,” Howell was looking around and then finding Woodes scarf, grabbed it only to have Jack interrupt him with his own thrown at the doctor “Take mine for the arm, and then his to bind it to his chest.” He elaborated “His is longer,” while motioning around himself with his hand “You get what I mean.”

There were days you just let Rackham be Rackham and ignored his strange line of thoughts “Alright,” Howell placed a splint on the arm and then bound it tightly with Jack's scarf, and then helped Woodes back into his shirt before he bound his arm to his chest “No moving it around, I hate it when people undo my work.”

Woodes protested weakly and with his good hand, slapped Howell's hand away, the doctor snorting “Behave, governor.”

“You'll all feel sorry for this,” Howell smirked, not really feeling threatened at the moment, and pulled the scarf tighter “Looking forward to it.”

Next was his leg, and Anne made sure Woodes noticed she was keeping watch on him, one wrong move towards Howell, who was sitting on the floor next to his leg, and she would be on him. “Your leg will need a couple of stitches, I am afraid.”

Woodes was still suffering the aftermath of his arm, not truly painful, but more of a throbbing that radiated through it, the news he needed stitches couldn't really rattle him any more than he was already. He could feel the blood running down his leg ever since he moved to sit up, it was the logical conclusion. And it was embarrassing, humiliating, to have to rely on men like them, on his enemies, to be so weakened he had to admit a momentary defeat. But if he wanted to get his strength back to fight them, he had to let that doctor patch him up, he had no other choice, so he shifted his leg a little to grant him better access. 

“You know this would be easier with your trousers down,” the narrowed eyes he received made Howell chuckle “Alright, I'll do it like this.”

Anne grinned at Jack, who shook his head, a little offended, it really wasn't his fault he found Rogers handsome, pretty, attractive, he had never mocked her for her thing with Max, so this was just unfair “Yeah yeah yeah, don't say it.”

Howell ripped a bigger hole in his pants to get better access, and after cleaning the wound, started his stitching. He had enough experience with needle and thread, constantly someone ending up bleeding, no matter what ship he was on. His life most definitely wasn't boring, and now he could add the governor of Nassau to the long list of men he had helped, not that he expected a lot of gratitude from that man.

Woodes closed his eyes, biting his lip as the needle worked through his skin, this wasn't the first time he hated his high tolerance for pain, it would be a lot easier to endure were he unconscious. It also would make him appear weaker, but his resilience came with a price, the one where he felt every single pull on his flesh, his whole leg feeling as if it was burning.

The wound wasn't that big, just a large scratch along the outer part of the thigh, a few stitches and Howell was done, wrapping a cloth around the leg. Before he finished, he grabbed Woodes by his chin, using a bit more force when he started to jerk his head away “Don't, I want to check your face...” rage burned up in his patient's eyes and he imagined it had to be because of the scars, so he specified “Your nose, governor. Flint's punch did not miss you.” He had a cut just on the bridge of the nose, but there was nothing he could do against that, the break would have to heal just like his ribs, by itself. He would turn interesting shades of blue and purple in a day or two, and so would Rackham. But considering what the two men had been through, the catalogue of their wounds was astonishingly short.

“All done,” Howell sat on his heels, grinning at Rogers “See, wasn't that bad... I'll check on you tomorrow...”

Woodes didn't thank him for his work, he was a little grateful, without that man he would be in a very bad shape, now he could at least heal properly and then make sure they all would get the right punishment for their acts. 

“Howell,” Rackham offered him a pleading smile “Could you fetch me a blanket, I am not leaving that chest out of my sight...” hearing Woodes scoff, he added “And I am sure the governor would be more comfortable with one too... Wouldn't want him to write another book and give us a searing review, something like 'An horrible stay with gruesome pirates' or 'My stay in the hold – a narrative of a governor in chains'.”

Anne snorted and Howell laughed “Wouldn't want that kind of publicity. I'll see what I can do,” before he left them to their devices.

***  
*

Vane blew out the smoke from his cigar, having waited for Howell to appear on deck, and now blocking his way with his leg, asked “How's our prisoner?”

It was getting darker outside, and Howell hadn't noticed him before his leg appeared, and accordingly jumped back, nearly tripping over a rope in the process “Dammit, Vane... Captain Vane...” It wasn't easy to know who had the command on this ship at the moment, four, no five captains present “A little warning next time...” He shook his head, exhaling deeply “And our prisoner, well, seems as if he isn't dying, at least from what I could tell. Not sure if he doesn't have internal injuries, he wasn't exactly easy to work on.”

“Was a nasty fall he took.” Charles had not counted with the man getting back up after that kind of landing, but it was just as well that he had. And was now in their custody. Ever since the governor had arrived with Eleanor - of all people - in tow, and then the pardons were given to everyone but him, he had questions that only Rogers could answer, he and Eleanor. He was pretty certain he had the right answers already, but he wanted to hear it from them. 

“Yes, we'll know in a few days... Until then, he's got nothing life-threatening, more of the bruised and battered kind of issues... Broken arm, nose and ribs... A couple of stitches on his leg...” he added “Nothing that will keep him down for long, and once that is the case...”

“He won't be left alone at any moment...” Charles jumped off the railing he had been resting on and extinguished his cigar on it “And I'll make sure he' securely locked up.” He would have to get some chains and shackles, and then order some of his men to keep guard.

***  
*

When the messenger send by Lieutenant Utley's rearguard arrived thundering through the gates of the fort, Chamberlain didn't need long to understand what this meant, and Eleanor's reproachful look didn't exactly help. So she had been right, it didn't do them any good right now.

He wasn't certain he wanted to know, sometimes ignorance was a bliss, his voice sounding accordingly as he asked “What happened?”

“The carriage must have been lead off the road... It overturned... Our men... They are all dead... Shot or stabbed...”

Eleanor felt her chest constrict, panic rising in her as she feared for Woodes, if the young soldier said they were all dead... “The governor?”

He shook his head “No trace of Lord Rogers... And neither were there any of Rackham or the chest.”

No corpse meant Woodes would be alive, and even if she didn't know where he was, it was better than the alternative “That is good, right, it could mean he followed them...” 

Chamberlain snorted bitterly “Or that they captured him too, and what that means, I do not think I have to tell you what it means if Flint and the pirates have the governor in their fangs.” Calling it a disaster would put it too mildly, if they had Rogers, the chest, and Rackham, they could dictate the future of all of them. 

“We still have one chance,” she prayed Hornigold had been on time “Captain Hornigold... He went after whatever caused the light out there, if that was them, he will be in pursuit as we speak, if not engaged in a battle with them...”

“Lieutenant Utley,” he waited for Ltn. Utley to come closer and then instructed him “I want Martial law installed as of now...” He was the highest-ranking military officer left in Nassau, and before the cabinet would start losing their heads and run in every possible direction making matters worse, he would take over and keep a semblance of order, and if that meant stepping on the toes of some Lords, well, then he would “And have a messenger send to get Berringer back from the Southern shore, seems wasted effort to have him wait for no one to arrive.”

“Why not send him as reinforcement to help Captain Hornigold?”

“And where should I send him to?” By now Hornigold had reached whatever mirage he had been hunting, and if Eleanor had been right about Flint being involved, and all spoke for it, then there was a good a possibility Flint had run and Hornigold was following him. Which meant that by now they were gone and impossible to track. “They will be long gone when he arrives, no... I want the fleet here and at maximum alert.”

“They won't attack immediately, and if,” and she still couldn't quite believe Woodes would be a prisoner, if anything, he was in pursuit of them “...and I mean if they have captured the governor, then they'll need even longer to regroup. Between Flint, Silver and Rackham there will be divergences as to progress... They won't attack this soon.”

“What if their _divergences_ get cleared fast... I will not tolerate that the governor becomes a symbol of their victory over the empire.”

Eleanor didn't want that to happen either, but since Chamberlain didn't want to listen to reason, she went looking for Max to inform her that there was indeed a spy, and that they quickly needed to find him.

***  
*

Far from Nassau and the woman he had some grudges to settle with, Charles arrived down in the hold, telling two of his men to keep watch outside. He entered, kicking the door closed behind him, chains rattling in his hands, and eyes going wide as he smirked at Jack who was lounging on a chair, feet on the chest “Really?”

“I am staying here, that chest is not leaving my sight. It is still Anne and my part of the treasure, one that we chivalrously offer to win our war, so I'll make sure nothing more is going to happen to it.”

“Chivalrously, huh,” he looked around and then noticed that the chains wouldn't be long enough “You'll have to move Jack... Chivalrously...”

“What?”

“Don't start, Jack, I am not in the mood,” he turned towards the governor and added, rasping “And don't you either.” 

Woodes was not in any mood to start any problems, he simply was physically unable to for now and if he were honest, he just wanted to be left alone. He had gone through enough in the past hours, he felt shaky and miserable enough without starting fights he was certain to lose. 

Since Jack didn't seem inclined to move Charles walked over and kicked the chair “I'll make sure Rogers doesn't take off wandering through the ship, and for that I need you over there, and him where your ass is sitting,” he looked at Anne “Why am I even explaining this? He hit his head, right? Even more dense than usual.”

“Jesus, Vane...” Jack got up from his chair, slow and wincing “I was just getting comfortable.”

Charles raised his eyebrows, his tone mocking “On a hard chair? In the hold?” He knew Jack long and well enough, the man liked to be comfortable and cosy, and it had always been a source of hilarity for Vane.

Woodes contemplated Charles, the man Eleanor had warned him most about, the one who had send a fire-ship into his fleet and had escaped with Teach. He wondered if that man was on the ship too and Rackham had just omitted his name from his earlier list. Not that it mattered, right now it was him against every single other soul on whatever ship he was, under whatever captain, and that did not bode well.

Anne motioned him to get up and he chuckled bitterly, his embarrassment intensifying “I am not sure I will be able of getting up.” Every single muscle twitch brought another wave of pain over him, the mere thought of pushing his body up, with one leg shaking and one arm useless was ridiculous “And that is not me being problematic or trying to provoke you, I just can't...”

With an annoyed sigh, Vane pushed Anne out of his way, she was strong but to lift someone the size of Rogers, who was pretty much out of commission and would be a dead weight, it needed more. He placed an arm behind his back and then pulled him up, Woodes swallowing hard when his body protested and his pain quadrupled. 

Jack watched the two men make it to the corner, licking his lips and avoiding Anne's gaze, he needed a few nice memories of this day, and that was most definitely one sight to behold. Which was over too fast and had Charles look at him quizzically and Anne only refraining from a sarcastic comment because of Woodes. It was one thing to tease Jack about the attraction he felt for a certain kind of males when they were alone, or with Charles, making such things known to enemies was nothing she would end up guilty of. 

Woodes needed a moment to catch his breath, panting hard and on the verge of blacking out, Jack throwing his coats at his feet “Get comfortable, you won't go anywhere, anytime soon.”

Charles shackled Woodes ankles, and made sure the chains were secured, before turning to Jack “I need a moment with him...” his expression growing insisting when Jack's mouth opened to protest “Alone.”

Jack hesitated, but then nodded, knowing fair well how stubborn Charles could be when he set his mind to something, and right now he was too tired and battered to fight him on something that didn't really matter anyway “Alright,” he would get something to eat and give his friend his time with the governor. He could imagine what he wanted to know, and hopefully Rogers was too exhausted to fight him a lot, or else Howell would have to start all over again.

Charles waited for Jack and Anne to be gone and then cut straight to the chase “Why was I the only one denied a pardon? It was her, wasn't it?” Only getting an haughty glare back, he placed his hand on Woodes' freshly stitched leg and pressed down a little “I'll only ask once, so you better start getting me the answers I seek.”

Woodes swallowed hard, wincing, he would have loved spitting in his face but that would not have improved his situation, so he nodded “Yes...”

It didn't come as a surprise, they hadn't been on good terms, and after killing her father to send her a message, well, Charles wouldn't have expected anything else from Eleanor. “How come she accompanied you back here?” 

Woodes felt the hand squeeze his thigh again and hissed “I needed someone with inside knowledge of Nassau so I recruited her,” he coughed, his throat dry after all that had happened “And asked her for a list of names on whom pardons...” another wave of coughs interrupted him, Charles looking around and locating Anne's flask. He handed it to him, and when Woodes didn't quite know how to open it with one hand, a very shaky hand, he scoffed and opened it, motioning for him to continue. Woodes took a large sip, the water doing him a world of good, and finished “...would be wasted on...” He drank more water and then gave the man before him the information he was seeking “Yours was the only one on it.”

“When I found out the two of you had been... Had been...” He wasn't certain what term to use, Jack's story about beheading in the name of love coming back, and he really didn't want Vane to start seeing him the way he had that other pirate. Not to mention, his indiscretions with Eleanor would have to stay a secret, he didn't want to know how the other would react to those news. Eleanor asking him to marry him. No, those were things that would not come over his lips.

“...Intimate?”

Woodes nodded “I told her I would not help her with a lovers quarrel, but she insisted that it had nothing, or not much to do with your shared past... That others, that Flint could be reasoned with, in opposition to you.”

Charles found it amazing that someone could be so naïve as to think that he could get James Flint back under the flags of the crown. Especially after Charles Town. “Believing _that_ didn't turn out so good for you, huh.” 

That was an euphemism, he had hoped that he could appeal to the man Flint had been, to the dream he had had before throwing it all away and becoming a criminal. That man was gone, and it also meant they were enemies to the bitter end. “I misjudged him, I was clearly wrong believing he could see the merit with what I am creating in Nassau.”

“So you still believe you are creating something? From this hold? On your way to a place where you will be all alone, against all of us?”

Woodes scoffed, right now it may look as if his plans were impossible to finish, but he would find a way to change the tide, and then Nassau would become how he envisioned it, and the pirates would be gone, after a short stint swinging in the wind. “Don't think you won, I am not finished yet, and I will prevail.”

It was pretty hilarious, but Charles wasn't Jack, he wasn't into the 'entertaining-prisoners'-business, and he had gotten all he had come for – today “Rest, you'll need it.” 

Woodes waited for him to be gone, and then tried to get comfortable, he knew he wouldn't be able of opening the shackles and didn't spend any energy on it. It took a few minutes before he had managed to get into a position in which both his ribs and his leg didn't get strained too much. Using one coat as a pillow and one to cover himself, he reflected on all that happened. He had seriously underestimated them, up to the point where it had nearly become fatal. For now they seemed to want to keep him alive or they would not have patched him up, he counted that as a small victory. He could still get out of this alive, and then utterly and permanently destroy them all. The pirates and all they held dear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for the kudos you left, and of course, feedback is always nice too ;)
> 
> Additional Notes:  
> -At first I wasn't sure whether I should have Hornigold see them carry Rogers to the Walrus, but he would probably have watched them row to the ship through his spyglass, and not sure if the distance was close enough for him to distinguish in detail what was going on (checked on google, but found nothing truly conclusive), the thought of him seething on his helm, not able of doing anything, was just too enticing to pass.  
> -Since I need the time spent on the Walrus to be longer than the day, little over a day that it took them to get to Maroon Island in the series, I'll use whatever “Deus-Ex-Machina (not really, but you get my drift)” that I can to make them need at least four to five days, starting with them circling around Nassau and the distance being longer, bad winds and such lol.


	10. Chapter 09 - IX

After having had some stew, and enough wine to numb all the pain, Jack let Anne help him join the others for a meeting in the navigational and captain's cabin – at the moment Flint's and Silver's. He immediately laid down on the bunk, crossing his legs and then slowly wiggling until he was comfortable, sighing loudly “Yes, now this is a lot better. My body didn't even remember what comfortable meant, this is it.” It did some good to lay relatively soft after days in a cell and a carriage ride straight out of hell. And he pointedly ignored Flint's and Silver's looks, he needed the bed a lot more than those two, and Vane who was lounging on a chair with his feet on the windowsill and blowing smoke out into the open, no one seemed to pester him with looks for that.

“Glad we can help accommodate you to your satisfaction, Jack,” Flint rolled his eyes and then crossed his arms behind his neck, leaning back on his chair “So, where do we go from here? We have all we need, even more we need, but we also have that bastard Hornigold on our tail.” He looked at all the men, and two women, present “And that means he will discover the location of Maroon Island.”

Madi and John looked at each other and then she nodded “That will not be a problem, my people will help fending him off.” It wasn't ideal to offer their enemy the knowledge of their existence so early into the war, but if the moment called for it, then they would stay their ground. 

“The question is,” Jack called in “Does Hornigold know we have the governor on the ship?” It was the ace they had up their sleeve and if they used him right, then maybe the Walrus was safe, and so was Maroon Island.

Flint shrugged “He probably kept an eye on us while we boarded the Walrus, so chances are he knows.” He had not given Hornigold much thought, but he was starting to become a pain in the ass, with his all new pirate hunter attitude. “And honestly, I do not give a rat's ass what that bastard knows or wants. If I get the chance, I terminate him, permanently.”

Jack laughed and then winced a little, before grinning “Right, though him knowing Rogers is here means he will refrain from attacking us, he won't risk harming the governor.”

“It still means he will find Maroon Island and then return to Nassau to bring all of Rogers' fleet back to annihilate us.”

“And leave Nassau unprotected against the Spanish threat? Make no mistake,” Jack turned onto one side, swinging a little with the bunk “Spain will know what happened. I have no idea why they suddenly wanted me along with the gold, well the gems, but I do not think they sent a ship with a messenger.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning they have an agent, a spy in Nassau. Rogers didn't seem happy about the developments,” he smirked “And I don't mean the one where you guys saved me. There was this, this,” he gesticulated from his position “cloud of discontent that surrounded him. At first I believed he had lied to me, that there had always been a plan to send me to Havana, but he wouldn't have been that contrived if that had been the case. He truly gave the impression of a man who had been crossed and would retaliate if he had the means.”

“If that is true, then we will have to get a message to Billy.”

“We have Rogers, why not ask him?”

Charles moved his legs back down “We should let him rest, man looks like death warmed up. If we want to keep him as an hostage, we better make sure he doesn't die on us.” He was looking forward to dangle the governor before Eleanor's nose, to show her that after he had taken her father, he had the means to take away the man who had freed her from her cell and the noose and was her new 'plan' to rise back to the top. The one he knew without much doubt had been wrapped around her finger too. To what degree he did not know, but even though Rogers had given her up as the instigator of his 'no pardon for Vane'-proclamation, Charles wasn't sure the man was as enthralled by her as he had been for a long time. A too long time. Shaking away those thoughts, he added “We'll interrogate him tomorrow,” he still answers he wanted too.

There was a general consensus that those things could all wait until the morning, Hornigold was good two hours behind them, and their talking would not change anything from a spot out in the ocean. After all the excitement, everyone wanted a moment of quiet and solitude, to reflect upon what had happened and where they would go from here.

***  
*

Eleanor had send a messenger to get Max to the mansion, they needed a meeting to calm everyone's minds as fast as possible. Even if it was bad, very bad, abysmal bad, the street needed to be reassured that this meant not the end of governor Rogers' reign. That the pirates had gained nothing by this, on the contrary, they worsened their relations with Spain and would now be hunted to the very last of them.

News spread fast in Nassau, especially when your name was Max, and so the messenger found her already on her way to find Eleanor, not answering her questions and only fuelling her anger. She immediately asked “What is going on?” when her eyes lay on the other woman. 

“The caravan has been attacked,” Eleanor frowned “Just as we predicted... And governor Rogers was nowhere to be found. It is still unclear whether he was taken along with the chest and Jack, or if he is in pursuit of them.”

Chamberlain's snort could not be overheard “The Lord Governor would have fought them until his last breath. Not finding his corpse on site can only mean one thing,” he didn't let Eleanor's gaze deter him from speaking his mind “They captured him.” Even if his messengers had not returned yet, he would bet everything he owned on Rogers not having followed them in pursuit, but in chains.

Max walked up to the table and served herself a cup, downing it before serving herself another, and then shrugging sarcastically “Perfect... It is even worse than we have feared... If they have the governor...”

“ _If_ , Max...” Eleanor looked from Chamberlain to Max, not believing they had so less faith in Woodes that they would not even give it all the benefit of the doubt while they were waiting for proof. 

Max laughed, ignoring Rogers' cabinet and Chamberlain “How can you be so dense, Eleanor... Anne was not alone... Vane has been seen lurking around Nassau this morning,” turning towards Chamberlain she added “Are you still convinced this was not an elaborated plot to get back everything and leave us with no options at all?”

“Charles?” Eleanor felt her blood freeze in her veins “Charles was in Nassau?”

Chamberlain motioned for her to continue and she did “One of my boy's swears he has seen him leave towards the inland. Said it was unmistakably Captain Vane.” On some level Max felt a good portion of glee seeing the panic rise in Eleanor. She had played Charles Vane like a fiddle, used him when she had needed him only to discard him later. And only to be reminded that men like him could never truly be tamed when he had executed her father. “And it makes sense... He has been a partner of Rackham and Bonny for a long time, Rackham was his quartermaster, he never had a grudge with having Anne on his ship... Even if they had fall-outs, they still will fight united... Especially against a common enemy.” 

“So now, if I get you right,” Chamberlain served himself a drink too, this was all turning sourer by the minute “Now Captain Vane is also involved in this recapture of the gems and Rackham. Does that mean I should ready the fleet in case Teach arrives?”

“Honestly, I am not sure...” Max felt oddly overwhelmed by the events, usually she was on the informed side, knowing what would transpire before it happened, hell, she would be helping with the plans. But this time she was as clueless as every other person in the room “I only know as much as you do, for now I can only assume... Though no fleets have been seen...”

“For now,” Chamberlain rubbed his face “So, let's see what we have... We have Anne Bonny who was warned by Captain Vane, who, everyone was certain had left the island with Teach's fleet, but was seen today. So let's assume it was him, how did he even find out about the ruse in the first place?”

“A spy, we have a...” he interrupted Max “Thank you, I was being rhetorical... Do we have any leads on who this spy might be?”

“I am working on that,” and she had a very good idea on who to talk to first.

“Good,” with a hand motion he dismissed her, but Max had something more to get off her chest “Commodore, I understand why Martial Law is inevitable, but the men need distraction. If they end up confined, they will start to talk amongst themselves, if they can come to the inn, they will talk, and my girls will hear.”

“She is right, Commodore, if they can drink and...” she stopped herself from using a word that would have made everyone blush in the room, and if she wanted to prove herself, better act more civilized “...find company, they will talk... The girls put ideas in their minds before, they will again.”

He had to agree that their suggestion had merit and nodded “Very well, I will double the guards though,” before any of them could object he waved them off “There is still a spy roaming around, you will forgive me if I am being cautious.” 

Since he was back on the subject, he looked around and then at Mrs. Hudson who had been lurking upstairs, in the shadows “And by way of context, Mrs. Hudson, if you were so good as to join us please.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes and he smirked arrogantly “You did not believe the governor would not inform me of Mrs. Hudson's _fascinating_ acquaintances, Miss Guthrie? I assure you there isn't much I am not aware of.”

“Ltn. Utley, place Mrs. Hudson under arrest,” he gave Eleanor a stern look when she wanted to object “Since I am aware that, for whatever reason I cannot fathom, governor Rogers wants you alive and unharmed, I will respect his wishes and refrain from locking you up in a cell. But as of now, you are not to leave your room and will have guards with you at any time.”

Max was staring at what was unfolding before her eyes, looking at Eleanor and then quickly leaving the mansion, she didn't want the Commodore to find something wrong with her too. And she had her girls to instruct.

“Is that really necessarily, I doubt she is...” Eleanor stopped in her tracks, Chamberlain's gaze giving her goosebumps “Miss Guthrie, may I remind you that I do not like nor enjoy your presence any more than I do Mrs. Hudson's,” his gave washed over the men present, clearly telling them their presence wasn't too much of his taste either, but they were Lords so he kept his mouth shut concerning their case, Eleanor was a different matter though. “And that all of this _shit_ is partly your fault too. You said Anne would comply and things were in order, and they clearly were not. Captain Vane can walk unhindered in and out of Nassau, no one even whispering a word about it in my direction, and apparently neither in yours.”

“You cannot blame me for...”

“No, no, but I can blame you for a multitude of other subjects, so don't tempt me.” He was done with her, there were other things he had to plan with the cabinet, his lieutenants, Captain Berringer once he would arrive, Eleanor Guthrie had nothing to add to divert his attention from the truly important matters. “If you want to be helpful, go and check on the sick men and report back to me afterwards, for now, I really would love to continue with the million of other problems I have.”

She wanted to kill him, preferably slow and painfully, but right now she couldn't alienate the man who had taken over Nassau, and she too had plans to set into motion.

***  
*

A couple of hours into a very troubled and uneasy sleep, Woodes woke to a world of agony, both physical and mental, the reality of his situation direly obvious as he tried to sit up and failed miserably. It was hard to locate one spot on his body not throbbing and burning or making itself generally known by not moving as he wished. He dropped his head back on his improvised pillow and sighed while throwing his coat away, trying to inhale and exhale as deeply as his lungs and ribs allowed.

He didn't know how long he had slept, and there was no opening allowing any light in so he could only guess, the lantern hanging on the far wall only casting enough light to discern his surroundings. At least there was no light to blind him, his headache and his general queazyness not really calling for bright daylight. A coughing fit hit him as he tried to move about a little, leaving him panting and grabbing for the water.

By now, no matter how much time had passed, Nassau would have been informed about what had happened. About his failure to keep the island safe and Spain off their shores. And the victory of the pirates, which would only fuel the dissident voices on the street and give them new hope that the empire could very well be driven out. Not to mention those who predicted his failure would be ecstatic to hear about his capture by the pirates. 

His thinking got interrupted by the door opening and a man holding another lantern inside before walking in, giving him the most disapproving of looks “Trying something, governor?”

Woodes weakly shook his head and rasped “No... Just need more water...” In any other situation, he would have attacked that idiot and broken his neck, but right now he couldn't do more than imagine how good it would feel. “Please...”

Being ordered to watch someone didn't quite include pampering his needs, but it wasn't difficult to see their prisoner was in a bad shape. So he went and woke Howell, who blinked the sleep out of his eyes and then slipped out of the hammock he had been resting in “So what does he have?”

“Coughs, looks feverish, generally bad...” he added with a snicker “Maybe the good governor suffers from sea-sickness.”

Howell didn't need long to understand that the state their prisoner was in had nothing to do with the fall or the fight, or sea-sickness as had been so nicely predicted. Rogers' forehead was burning up and sweat covered his body, the fact he seemed coherent was the only good thing he could find. Woodes managed to drink some more water and let Howell help him sit up.

“Get Captain Vane, I need those chains taken off.”

Disturbing Vane was not on the list of many men on the ship so he preferred asking “Are you sure that is necessary?”

Howell gave Rogers another glance and then nodded “Yes, I am.”

Woodes hated his state, but the man before him had helped him before, and he needed him some more, if he read all the signs right, this was the same illness breaking out in him than had in his men. So being pliant and polite with the only doctor around didn't need much will-power “My men came down with this too... My doctor wasn't sure what it is, could be yellow fever, could be something else.”

Howell cringed, he preferred broken bones and stitches to illnesses that could potentially infect everyone. Though most of them were harmless to the majority of the crew, no recent arrivals to the West Indies aboard as far as he could tell. Most certainly not Madi and her people. “Alright, I'll get you somewhere more comfortable and then you'll have to ride it out. Sorry, governor, but there is not much I can do for you on that matter.” He could make sure that he would be laying somewhere more adequate than a floor. Woodes started to doze off again, so he shook him gently and made him drink more water.

Charles had been sitting outside, keeping watch at nothing particular, he wouldn't admit he was reflecting and watching the stars, when he got interrupted. He jumped down from his spot and went to check for himself what Howell wanted, he didn't quite get why the doctor would want Rogers' chains unlocked in the middle of the night.

Howell looked up from his spot next to Woodes “I need him freed so I can take him somewhere more adequate for his state, Captain.”

“Really?” Vane had told the others they needed him in good shape if they wanted to use him to get Nassau back, so objecting now seemed awfully hypocrite. And counter-productive. It was obvious their hostage was in a bad shape right now “Alright, but those come back on no matter where you take him.” Fiddling with the locks he took the shackles off “Where are you going to take him anyway?”

“Well, the Captain's cabin comes to my mind,” Flint was down with the crew, he had seen him on his way here, he had no idea where Silver was, but he and Madi had been seen disappearing together, so he hoped there would be space for Rogers.

Vane chuckled “Good luck getting Rackham off the bunk.”

“Jack's state is not as serious as is Rogers',” he started to pull Woodes up, Vane grumbling a little but helping him “That seems obvious. Some of his men fell ill, is it the same?”

Howell looked astonished, so Vane added “Heard the English were dropping to some disease back in Nassau.”

“Yes, it is the most probable,” they carried him through the ship, and in any other state Woodes would have tried to memorize the layout and all, but he couldn't focus, the pain in his body and the dizziness making it just impossible to focus. 

Jack was far from impressed when he was woken up, but seeing Rogers hang limp between Howell and one of the crew, and having Vane motion for him to move, made him finally get up. “This is bullshit, people.” He could see the reason behind this unceremonious waking, but that did not mean he enjoyed it. Yawning he sat on the desk, giving Anne a cross look, as if she had not been ripped out of her dreams too, and then observed the happenings. “I told him he should see a doctor, guess that is obsolete now.”

“And you didn't inform me because?”

“Because I did not think of it, I mean I had other things on my mind. Just remembered now that he was already coughing on our little trip.”

Howell rolled his eyes but didn't reply anything to that, he would have preferred knowing, but he could understand Rackham had had other things to dwell upon when he was saved then Rogers. Once they had their prisoner sitting on the bunk, Howell asked for blankets and then started to remove Woodes' shirt, making sure he kept his arm immobile. “Don't move your arm, just get up.”

There were a few snide comments on Woodes' lips but he simply lacked the energy to make them known, so he ignored Jack and complied with Howell and soon lay on top of a blanket, his broken arm on his chest and the other shackled to the bunk. At least the thin mattress was softer than the floor and the air was fresher, cooler, and most importantly, his head was bedded on a real pillow. Another blanket ended up on top of him, and if he were honest, he couldn't care less who was around him anymore, he couldn't keep his eyes open, his mind foggy and sleep overcoming him again. 

“Will he make it?” Jack had seen men die of all kinds of illnesses and diseases, coughing blood and wailing for their mothers, he had warned Rogers New Providence had a way of weeding out the weak.

“I can't say for sure,” Howell looked at Woodes, then Vane, and then back at Jack and Anne who sat next to him “He strikes me as strong and healthy... Not sure it would have broken out if not for the trauma of the accident. What is sure though is that next hours and days won't be pleasant.”

The door opened and a sleepy, grumpy and worried Flint appeared, ripped out of his well-deserved sleep by some commotion around the hammock he had been resting on “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Rogers is ill, could be yellow fever or something like that. Apparently there is an epidemic in Nassau and the good governor was not immune to it.”

“Grand,” Flint walked over and opened the window, rubbing his head “Absolutely grand.”

Howell cringed, their captain had been volatile to say the least in the past weeks, seeing him frown was nothing that forebode well. “As I was just telling them, he will probably make it, I can't be certain but there is a good chance, he looks strong and healthy, and he should...”

Flint's eyes moved from Howell to Woodes “Well, he does not give me the impression of strong and healthy right now, doc.”

Snorting “You're really going to start with semantics now” Jack shook his head and slid from the table “Time for me to find another bed, bunk or hammock. See you all later.” Anne rolled her eyes but followed him, very inclined to get a few more hours of sleep too.

Howell checked Woodes one last time, pulling the blanket over him “Let him rest, there's nothing more that can be done for now.” He saw himself off, ready to get a few more hours of sleep. The next days would be taxing, between Silver and his badly healing stump and their prisoner and his illness, his life would not be boring, of that he was sure. And there still was the prospect of a battle with Hornigold.

Flint sat down in his chair, feet on the desk and getting comfortable, he smirked at Vane “You should get some rest too,” he looked tired, like everyone aboard the Walrus, and the next days would not become less straining “I'll stay here and keep watch.”

“You're sure?” 

“Absolutely, I've got a few hours of sleep already,” he added with an ironic tone to his voice “Don't you worry about me.”

Vane huffed and then left Flint to his devices, they were on his ship after all and he wouldn't mind to catch an hour or two of sleep too, after the day they've had, and those that would follow, it wouldn't be amiss.

***  
*

Eleanor was looking for a moment of respite too, knowing fair well that sleep would evade her. After having checked upon the men fighting for their lives in their converted warehouse and leaving a note for Chamberlain, she had retired to Woodes' rooms only to be interrupted after a minute by a knock on the door.

Lieutenant Utley entered, closing the door behind him “Apologies for the disturbance, Miss Guthrie. Especially this late...”

“Yes?”

There was no polite way to say what he had come to say, and he wasn't under the impression she needed empty phrases and sugar-coating “Do you really believe it to be a good idea to come to these rooms when the governor is not present?” It was just as bad when he was there, but since he held meetings in his study, well it could get a pass on an island like New Providence, seeing her eyes narrow at him he raised his hands in defence “You've got it wrong, I just came to warn you that the Commodore will probably have a fit if he finds you here.”

“He gets fits for every little shit.”

Utley laughed softly “And don't let him hear you either... I mean no ill-will, I consider the governor a friend as much as a superior, if he trusts you, I do too.” Not that that trust went far, but right now wasn't the time for confidences.

“Thank you, it somewhat feels good not to feel alone in this.”

“You are not, and that is why you should leave his rooms before...” he couldn't finish, Chamberlain standing in the door-frame and giving them a strange look.

Utley recovered pretty quickly, you learned to when you were around men like the Commodore and Rogers “Commodore...”

“What is going on here”

“Miss Guthrie wanted to ready the room for the governor's return and then have it locked,” Eleanor had to hand it to the lieutenant that he could lie without blushing, his story even making sense since she had brought fresh candles and wine “Since Mrs. Hudson is not in the capacity to do so, and since it would be improper for her to be here alone, I decided to oversee it.”

Chamberlain didn't believe him, not for a second, unfortunately the man had been nothing but helpful, dutiful and competent, trustworthy even until now, and he couldn't quite understand why he could be found in the governor's rooms, at night, with Eleanor Guthrie. “Ready the room?”

Eleanor took that as her cue to take over “Yes, ready the room... As in leave the windows a little open so the air does not get stale, replace the burned down candles,” she pointed at the desk “Removing used glasses and the chaos... So that when he comes back, this place looks inviting and clean.”

His narrowed eyes moved from one to the other, it all seemed harmless and with good intentions, but he had a gut feeling and he was seldom wrong when following it. He had no proof of foul play though, so he nodded “Alright, that was quite thoughtful of you, Miss Guthrie,” he turned towards Utley “Bring me the key once the rooms are sealed off.”

“Of course, Commodore Chamberlain.”

Once he had left, Utley rolled his eyes and smirked, approaching her and keeping his voice low “See, that is what I was trying to save you from. That man has eyes and ears everywhere, be advised Miss Guthrie, and be careful.”

“It seems I owe you my gratitude, though I cannot understand why it is such a big deal that I spend my nights in this bed,” she started replacing the candles, Chamberlain would inspect the room and she didn't want more problems than she already had.

“He is a married man, he and his wife may be separated, but they never got divorced. You are a criminal. Shall I continue?”

“You said it, they are separated,” she started rolling up maps and placing books back on the shelf “Shouldn't he be free to find another woman to share his life with?” 

He didn't want to have this discussion with her, not now, not ever. First of all it was improper, it wasn't his business, and second, he knew more than she did, and if Woodes had decided to keep it from her, than it most certainly was not his place to inform her. “It is all a little more complicated than that,” even if their marriage had turned bad very fast, Woodes was loyal and would take his wife back, that much Utley knew, and he also knew it was not the kind of information Eleanor would get from him “And mostly because of the Lords that came with us, the officers, they all live by certain values and morals and have a hard time letting go of the rigidity of the Old World.”

Eleanor looked at him and then laughed “And you?”

“I may be a lot like the Lord Governor, having lacked it a lot to begin with and shed the rest somewhere over the Atlantic.”

It was hard not to notice the man's fondness of Max, and her cleavage, whenever she was in his sight, his eyes had a hard time not resting on her, Eleanor found it cute, it was futile but cute . She would have to warn Max and ask her to tell the poor lieutenant off gently, he seemed like a nice person and didn't deserve to be played with “So there is hope Nassau won't turn into a second London.”

“I guess there was not much hope for Nassau turning into a London to begin with,” she had finished and stole a book out of Woodes' library, Utley not commenting on it more than with a chuckle and then closing the door. “Do not worry too much, the governor is a very capable man, he will find a way out of whatever situation he is in.”

“I know, it is just hard not to know what is going on, where he is, how he is doing,” she sighed, walking towards her own room “Good night, Lieutenant, and thank you.”

Utley located Chamberlain and handed him the key, trying to ignore the look he was receiving. “So care to tell me what was really going on, Lieutenant Utley?”

“Beg pardon, Commodore?”

“Don't play those games with me, Lieutenant, I am not in the mood to have men I trust lie blatantly to my face.”

“I did not lie, Commodore. Miss Guthrie went to the governor's room and I merely followed her to inform her on the improper nature of her presence in there, uninvited and at night.” He offered him an apologetic smile “You have enough to worry about without having to deal with Miss Guthrie and her lack of knowledge of right and proper behaviour, so I thought I would make sure she understood her place. I truly did not see any reason to get you involved, not with everything that has happened lately.”

The lieutenant was right, he had enough on his plate not to feel the need to be inconvenienced to the highest degree by a woman who had never learned her place “If you manage to keep that _woman_ off my back, I will personally see to that you get a promotion, Lieutenant.”

Utley grinned “You will not be bothered by her anymore, Commodore.” He wasn't sure he meant it literally, but he would remind Chamberlain of that promise.

***  
*

Bothered was a state that Flint could say a lot about. He had been merrily sleeping in a hammock, dreaming and resting, blissfully unaware of the reality of things when he had been woken up by footsteps and talking. There was no possibility to fall back asleep while wondering what was going on, and his curiosity had gotten well rewarded. This was not how he imagined his rest, and definitely not with Woodes Rogers laying sick to the bone on his bunk. The prospect to spend the rest of the night in a chair, with that man a couple of feet away, that was enough to ruin his mood for good.

 _'Lord Thomas Hamilton'_ , he could still hear that name spoken by a mouth who had no right to do so, not like that, not after everything that had happened. Even if it hadn't been Rogers personally who had locked away Thomas and pushed him into suicide, or had forced Miranda and him to flee, had killed her in Charles Town, he was still representative of the Empire which had done all that. Which had taken his last connection to James McGraw away from him with a bullet. Only to send another moron to take Nassau away from him, reminding him of Thomas, doing what Thomas had had planned and using that man to sway him to his side. No, it wasn't what they had planned for Nassau, what Rogers wanted was control, and if that could be achieved with pardons then so be it. Thomas and him had wanted to change things truly and entirely, and without control from England poisoning people's lives. 

Woodes stirred in his sleep and Flint sighed, no, that man may have come offering the same deal, but the motivation and the sought result were fundamentally opposed to what they had envisioned. And it didn't matter anymore, the pardons were off the table, he was their prisoner, they had the means to finance their war, whatever England had tried to achieve, they had failed. 

He felt as relieved as annoyed, and he couldn't quite pinpoint why, well, beside Hornigold being on their tail that was, that he could do without, but for the rest shit had gone their way. And even if their hostage was ill, battered and bruised, he was still alive and hence a formidable card to play. James stretched in his chair and got comfortable, he didn't want to reflect upon things he had no answer to, not when he had other things to plan and kick into motion.


	11. Chapter 10 - X (Interlude I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I searched around couldn't find first names for Ltn. Utley or Mrs. Hudson. The latter I have the feeling I heard someone call “Elizabeth”? Don't ask, I just have this flashback of someone rushing past her and saying something à la “Not now, Elizabeth” while passing her. Did I dream it, did I imagine it, did I see it, not sure.  
> As for Utley, I think I'll go with Samuel, doesn't make me cringe too much haha. I should never name things, I am bad at it, I suck at it lol  
> -Woodes Rogers' brother apparently (and that is with an enormous maybe attached to it) was named John in “real life” and there's talk about him being named Thomas in the show. I can't remember where and when Rogers said his name, or did some fans make that up? Not sure. It took me a little and then I went with John. There's no reason to traumatize Flint more than he already is :p

The rising sun didn't bring any more council as had his reflections, so Flint walked below deck to break his fast, hoping that a moment with the crew would help him not to ponder the questions that had kept him awake for the remainder of the night. But that hope had been futile, the main subject switching from the gems and what to do with them, to Hornigold and then to the best prize in a long time: their hostage.

The only thing that kept him from fleeing back to his cabin was De Groot arriving, having been looking for him to keep him posted about Hornigold “Captain, I've been looking for you.” The situation was not worse than shit usually went when Flint and Silver decided something, with Vane and Rackham thrown into the mix it had become a bit eerie, but with the identity of their prisoner it was clear this time was special. A special kind of crazy. But nothing he would call impossible or implausible, it was the life aboard the Walrus as he knew it.

He sat down next to Flint who inhaled deeply and then blew the air out, pointing at his plate “Could any disaster information wait, at least until I am done eating? It is hard enough to swallow this, listening to all the problems we are facing won't make it go down better.”

“Yeah, we need a decent cook. You know how to cook,” seeing Flint raise an eyebrow he quickly interjected “Nah, forget about that... What I wanted to tell you, was that we were able of keeping ahead of Hornigold. He's two miles astern, still following us.”

Flint did not for one minute think Hornigold would give up his chase, not with all they had aboard, not with the governor – if he then knew – aboard, and most certainly not after the Walrus escaped him last time. “He won't give up, he wants us... Me... And he won't give up on the cache and Rackham to prove himself, not to mention the attention he would receive if he saved the governor.”

“So we will engage him?”

“Not here, not now,” he finished his breakfast with a disgusted face and then pushed the bowl away, making a mental note to talk to whomever had had the audacity to ruin perfectly good ingredients like that. “Let's get to Maroon Island first and see what the situation will be by then. I don't want to risk anything, not when we have a comfortable lead on him.”

“Not that comfortable.”

“No, not that comfortable but better than nothing,” their current situation could not be altered much, decisions would have to wait until they were in sight of Maroon Island “For now we have to make sure to keep our lead, I trust you with that.”

De Groot nodded and then took off, to do whatever, Flint truly didn't care at the moment what his men were doing as long as it didn't hinder his plans, and he decided to take a little walk on deck to check on the position of Hornigold himself.

 

When he walked back into his cabin, he noticed he wasn't alone with Woodes, Howell on his heels next to the bunk and checking his patient over, a cloth in his hand while he gently wiped the sweat of his chest. Flint watched the doctor for a moment while moving towards the desk and then asked “How is he doing?” He still had no real plans, had no idea what to do with the man, right now he wanted him back on his feet so he could gloat a little. They truly had managed a great coup and he wanted Woodes Rogers, governor of Nassau to realize that. 

“Feverish, delirious, mumbling pretty incoherent stuff...” Howell wiped Woodes' forehead and face off and then pushed himself up “He's back into dreamland now though.”

“What was he mumbling?” Who knew, maybe he could find out some of his secrets, things he could use against his English ass to send him back where he came from. “Anything of value?”

Howell shrugged, there had not been much that he could clearly distinguish or make sense of “Something about a John, no one calls me that here so my best guess is he meant Silver. Or someone else altogether.”

“Silver?” Flint narrowed his eyes, wondering why he would call for his quartermaster and general thorn in his side by his first name when the two had not met. As far as he knew Silver had disappeared with Madi and they had yet to re-emerge “The two didn't interact, why would he call him John?”

“You are not seriously expecting an answer from me, I do not know. I tried to pry it out of him but he didn't make much sense.” He looked over at Woodes “Oh, and I took off his shackles, but it isn't as if there was much danger to expect from him.”

Flint frowned, but Howell was right, the pale and shivering man laying on that bed was no danger to anyone – not for now anyway. “No, I guess not. Will he make it?”

“Probably, he's strong if you ignore all the wounds he suffered from your chase, his body will be able of fighting that fever off. Well, baring any unforeseen complications, but for now he'll live.” 

Woodes didn't hear their discussion, and neither did he feel Howell's gentle touch to his forehead before the doctor left the cabin. And Flint was glad he was quiet and unconscious, he had heard enough for the day and the day hadn't even really started yet.

***  
*

Eleanor didn't feel any rested when she finally decided to get out of bed. Worried and anxious didn't even begin to cover how she was feeling, the dread of not knowing where Woodes was, what they were doing to him killed her. The thought of Vane taking away yet another person she loved was hard to bear.

Lamenting wouldn't help though, so she decided to visit Mrs. Hudson and see how she was doing in her 'prison'. She had tea brought to make it a nicer morning for her but the woman didn't feel particularly merry. 

“This is absolutely outrageous,” Eleanor didn't need to be told, everything in Mrs. Hudson's posture and demeanour spoke of offence and outrage, and she could understand the woman. But she could also understand the Commodore, and quite frankly, she had been astonished when Woodes had waved her treason off and kept her in his service, not even putting a guard on her. 

Eleanor looked up from her tea cup “Well, I can understand the motivation behind the Commodore's actions... After all you spied on the Governor for months, reporting to the enemy...”

“I had no choice, you know that. Had I not...” she sighed “It is too late now to change anything anyway.” 

“Be that as it may, right now it would be foolish of him not to keep known threats under close guard and observation,” she waved around the room “And this is far more accommodating than a cell, you can believe me.”

“And what could I do to worsen the situation? I do not have the means to...”

She couldn't believe Mrs. Hudson had the nerve to downplay her role “You know the identity of a Spanish spy, who hides here in Nassau. I would say that classifies as a threat.”

“And what could I tell him that he has not yet found out by listening to the people talk?”

She was right, by now the gossip would be in full effect, everyone adding to the story and twisting it and turning it around until not much of the truth was left. And Spain would probably be informed soon too, which would bring a whole new set of problems with it. With Rackham and the cache missing, and the governor taken captive by the pirates, Havana would not hesitate to send a fleet to raze Nassau to be done with it. 

“Who is he?”

“I can't tell you... I can tell you that my contact is Juan Antonio Grandal from the Casa de la Contratación, but as for the identity of his agent here in Nassau... It would be too dangerous...”

“What would it take to get you to tell me his name, for you to tell me how to contact him?” She decided to take another route immediately, trying to sway the woman before her “If Captain Hornigold is not successful in retrieving the cache and Rackham,” she swallowed “and the Governor, then Nassau will be in grave danger. It would be preferable to contact Havana before the gossip makes it there, to inform that there will be a delay in the delivery of their gold and their prisoner but there is no ill-will in play.”

“I will not risk the life of my children for a possibility, a mirage you have... There is more to the threat from Havana than just the gold. Their governor and governor Rogers have unfinished business.”

“Unfinished business?”

“I was not given any details, but I was told that governor Raja would not show clemency should his demands be ignored. That past events that linked them would not allow for him to show any mercy towards governor Rogers and Nassau.” 

“What are you saying?” Eleanor stared at her dumbfounded, not understanding what could be that common link between Woodes and the governor of Havana, why he hadn't told her that there was more to the demands Spain had voiced. And mostly what had happened. They had spoken about it repeatedly, Spain, Havana, Woodes' life back when he had been a privateer, and never had he said a word about Raja or some problems with the man.

“What I am saying is that even if you send a message now, it is highly unlikely that it will be heeded. It could even have the opposite result you wish to achieve.” 

Eleanor frowned but was very bound on taking care of the matter anyway. She wasn't sure what it would bring, the agent had probably already send a message to Havana to inform them, not that she was certain if any ship had left the harbour before Chamberlain had locked Nassau down.

 

Stepping outside half an hour later and more confused than ever, she saw a group of redcoats pass, Utley trailing behind them and nodding at her “Miss Guthrie,” as he stopped before her. 

“Lieutenant Utley, do you ever sleep?”

Smiling, he sighed “Not nearly as much as I would like. Can I help with something?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact you can... But first, are there any news?”

Utley shook his head “Captain Berringer has returned but he has not come across anything in particular either, so I am afraid there is not much that has happened.” A lot of screaming, and a Commodore ready to start hanging people just to make a point, things had not changed much over night. “I guess as things stand that can be seen as a little victory.”

Eleanor cringed and lowered her voice “I may be able of bringing a little hope back, at least where the Spanish spy is concerned. Could you tell me where the Commodore is?”

He remembered the man's words, and quite frankly, no one wanted to cross paths with him this morning, especially not a person who would aggravate the Commodore's mood even more “I don't believe you should go to him with anything today, unless it is the Lord Governor's present location.”

She would give anything to know Woodes' location, but unfortunately she was no magician and had no way of finding out any time soon “Who wouldn't want to know that, but in absence of that information I need the Commodore to do something in order to gain at least the identity of the agent spying on our asses.”

“How about you tell me, and I'll relay it to him. If he finds it has merits you can fill him in on the details?”

“Alright, well,” she looked around, by now she found anyone suspicious and lowered her voice even more “If Mrs. Hudson's children back in London are put under protection, she will give us the identity of the spy, point him out to us.” At least she hoped she would, there would be no reason to keep the secret if the blackmail pawns were safe.

“Do you know how long it takes for a message to get back to England?” Not to mention there was no ship scheduled to leave any time soon, so that kind of demand was sheer insanity, but apparently that did not deter Eleanor “Yes, and that is exactly why time is of essence.”

“I will see what I can do,” he could already vividly imagine Chamberlain's reaction. The man would go and interrogate her until she broke down and then he would send Berringer in to finish her off. “You should try and make her see reason, Miss Guthrie, or else her children may very well be the least of her concerns.”

Eleanor let the words sink in, not liking what the lieutenant was implying, and narrowed her eyes at him “What does that mean?”

“That means that Commodore Chamberlain will do anything in his power to go to the bottom of what happened,” he left the rest unsaid, Eleanor wasn't dense and understood quite well what he meant.

“The governor would never allow Mrs. Hudson to be hurt.”

“The Lord governor is not here, is he?” He nodded at her and then followed the other men to the fort, not certain he would address Eleanor's newest demand. It wouldn't be possible anyway, and there were other ways of finding out, in that he agreed with the Commodore. Anything to get the governor back.

***  
*

At Miranda's house, Billy's hand went for his cutlass when Ben thundered inside, informing him that someone was approaching. With yesterday's events, he wasn't certain it was a friend or a foe who came to visit, things were quite bizarre at the moment, a whole new game-set shifting into place. He followed Ben outside and then sighed with relief and a little annoyance when he recognized Featherstone and Idelle. “What are you guys doing here?”

Idelle rushed off the carriage “We came to see if anyone had stayed here.”

Billy wasn't sure he found their behaviour heroic or insane, probably a bit of both, just like Gunn and him staying on an island where the number of enemies surpassed by far the one of their friends. And yet they had stayed too, to each their own job it seemed, and apparently for the four of them it meant mingling with the enemy. “You're crazy, with everything going on... You risk being seen...”

“You do too, hiding here... The Commodore installed Martial Law, all of Nassau and the immediate surroundings are under heavy watch.”

Ben smirked “And you find it wise to come here?”

“We'll find an excuse, right” seeing Featherstone swallow hard and look as if he would piss himself soon she deadpanned “Or I will.”

They entered the house and once inside, Featherstone exhaled and wasn't able of containing his curiosity, feeling a bit safer with walls around him “So what happened yesterday?”

“The caravan was where you said it would be. And now the cache, Rackham and the governor are all on their way to Maroon Island. Everything worked like a charm for once.”

“So it is true... Rumours on the street spoke of Rogers' capture by pirates... And it would explain the general panic last night.”

Billy nodded, he wasn't sure what Flint was playing at, Rogers' death would have handed England a dire defeat, capturing him was only going to prolong the war and the crown's presence on their island. He hoped Flint knew what he was doing. “Yeah, Rogers was in a bad shape but alive...”

“And why didn't you just kill him and get it over with,” Featherstone nudged Idelle who shrugged, not recognizing any fault to what she had said, and even continuing “What? He lied to us, to all of Nassau... Would be better if he were gone for good.” She gazed at Augustus “Didn't you say something sounding a lot like shit no one wanted to be lied about?”

“Flint has other plans.” Billy wasn't certain which they were, but Flint always had a plan, and also a fucking plan in case the first one didn't work, usually coming from Silver. And those plans were generally crazy.

Featherstone sat down, ignoring Idelle and passing a hand through his hair and shaking his head, not happy to be the one to inform the two fellow pirates about what he and Idelle had found out “Also a plan for Captain Hornigold following him?”

“What are you saying?”

“Eleanor,” Idelle raised her hands “According to rumours and some of the guards, she managed to convince Hornigold to sail after them... And he has not come back yet, so I think it would be safe to say...”

Billy finished for her “...that the bastard is on their tail.”

“Yes. Well at least it is a good possibility. I mean why would he not return immediately if he had caught or sunk them?”

“Shit,” everything had worked so well and now this. Billy knew Hornigold, and he knew he wouldn't give up until he had Flint and the rest of the crew in chains to bring them back and hang them. With Rogers aboard the Walrus he would at least refrain from sinking the ship, that odd was in their favour but it was also complicating things. “We can't help them from here, not directly anyway.”

“If he had engaged them, wouldn't that battle be over by now?” Ben had pondered the possibilities and it seemed highly illogical that Hornigold would need over half a day, or a night in this instance, to return to Nassau after defeating Flint. “Maybe the Walrus sunk his ship, maybe he is just in pursuit, but if he had won, we would know,” grinning he pointed at Idelle and Featherstone “Or they would. And now we would. And since that is not the case...”

Billy agreed with Ben that it was quite unlikely that Hornigold would need that long to come back and gloat, but the implications it left were not to his liking either. “It is still something I could do without... That man will do anything to destroy Flint and every other pirate he comes across.”

Featherstone interjected from his chair “Not with Rogers on the ship, come on, he wants Flint hanging but he won't risk the governor's well-being for that. He isn't insane.”

“No, but what about when they arrive at Maroon Island?”

“You said it,” Idelle sighed, cocking her head “We can't do anything for them from here, but we can do our part.”

It was the hardest part, knowing his brothers were out there, facing trouble and he was cosily hiding in a house, not idly but still his life was easier than theirs. “But with uttermost prudence... We can't risk any of us getting caught. Or your involvement discovered. Keep a low profile, don't force things.”

“And you will stay here?” Idelle waved around “In this house?”

“Yes, for now... It is far enough away from Nassau not to have guards nosing around.”

***  
*

Max had been looking for Featherstone and Idelle, their absence only reinforcing her suspicion that one or the both of them, which seemed more credible, had been involved in divulging the route the caravan would take to Vane.

Returning to Nassau, Featherstone felt his heart race when they were told that they should go and find her, Idelle only mildly annoyed and worried.

“Where have the two of you been,” Max eyed them intently, trying to read them but getting nothing but Idelle's defiance and Featherstone's, well Featherstone's nervous twitching and blushing. It was a personal affront that they believed for a second they could work against everything she had build up in Nassau by helping the pirates disrupt the uneasy peace. “Meeting with the pirates? Again? Was it Flint? Or Vane? Or no, since they must have disappeared aboard the Walrus, have they left someone here on New Providence island to report back to them? What did you tell them?”

Idelle pretended to be shocked and offended, shaking her head and putting an amused expression on her face “What? No, of course not. What gave you the idea that we would have anything to do with them?”

“Really? What would give me the _idea_?”

“Well, since you must know,” Idelle offered a very pale and spooked-looking Augustus an apologetic smile “Sorry Augustus... We went to... You know...” She sighed theatrically “You know he has certain _tastes_... He likes it when we do it out in the wild, pretending...”

Featherstone coughed and stared at her wide-eyed, not believing that she would come up with something like that to save their asses. “That is... I...”

Max's eyes moved from one to the other, she remembered Augustus Featherstone and his strange desires and demands, and Idelle was one to do anything when it brought in coin, so that whole story seemed plausible, even if she didn't believe one word of it. Idelle had always been close to Vane, one of his favourite girls, and Featherstone could be convinced of anything with either pussy or violence. Someone had to tell the pirates where to find Rackham and the cache, and the two standing before her were her best bet. 

Taking Max's silence for a bad sign, Idelle decided to take it a notch further, it wasn't as if Featherstone's reputation needed any guarding, it was pretty much destroyed anyway “Cattle... He likes it when we pretend we're cattle... Today I was a deer though,” she smirked “running from a bad wolf.”

Featherstone wanted to throttle her on the spot, she had said enough, her last words had just been too much, she couldn't go around and tell people he liked shit like that. Though now that he came to think of it, the idea seemed interesting enough. And it could have been ending worse than with a wolf.

“What were you thinking?” For now Max would go and pretend she believed them, she'd let them feel safe to continue their little schemes and betrayal and once she would have a proof she would expose them. “No one is to leave Nassau for the inland, and that includes men with particular tastes and the women providing them. Is that understood?”

“Perfectly,” Idelle offered Featherstone a smirk and then left to get to work, the man on her tail and Max staring after them. Idelle waited for them to be out of Max's sight and then exhaled deeply “She knows, we better be careful from now on.”

It was slowly becoming too dangerous for Featherstone “You had to compare us to cattle, did you? No better idea than making me look like a depraved?” 

“You are depraved, Augustus... Want me to remind you what it is you ask of me and the girls?”

“No,” no, he truly did not need to hear it put into words, it was bad enough he had those urges, so he concentrated on the problem they were facing “So you want to continue? With our spying?”

“Did you not come to me with this? And now that you have been proven right with your hunch, you want to hide, and ignore that we are all being played by England, the governor, his men, and fucking Eleanor Guthrie.”

“I...” she was right, unfortunately Featherstone wasn't certain he had the courage to continue his investigations, after all, Vane was gone for now, he couldn't come and throw him around or worse. But he couldn't quite accept to live under the rule of a lying, conniving, English bastard and ignore what was happening either “Alright, but we have to be a lot more careful from now on.”

“Yeah yeah, sure...” There wasn't much they could do right now anyway, so she left the inn for the brothel, very inclined on pressing the soldiers for every tiny bit of information.

***  
*

After having had lunch, or what passed as lunch on the Walrus nowadays – and he would not complain, he was no cook either, he had made that dire experience - Silver had retired to the cabin to find a moment's peace, his stump hurting, and he didn't want anyone to see him while battling the incessant pain. The fact that the governor didn't seem to be better off, brought a bitter laugh up his throat, but it wouldn't help him in any way, and the man had the chance to completely heal. Him on the other hand, he would have to live with just one leg until he drew his last breath, and that was something he did not like reflecting upon – respect from the men or not.

He found his mood worsening while sitting down and taking his leg off, sighing as the stump could finally breathe a little. It wasn't a clever idea to run around a ship when he could hardly walk properly, but showing weakness was not something he could do, not around all the sharks around him. 

It didn't take long for Woodes' fever to peak again and he began to stir, wheezing and whimpering in the fangs of a nightmare. Silver put his peg back on, hissing as he took the first steps and then called the first man he saw over, sending him to get Howell. Not that the doctor could do much, he had to suffer through the fever all by himself, but he wanted him to know that his patient was starting to trash around again.

When Howell arrived, he only needed one look to tell Silver to go and sit down, to take some pressure of his leg. “You are a bigger pain than he is right now, Silver.”

“Oh really,” lowering himself into the seat, he served himself some wine “Seems to me I am up and moving and he is unconscious and not so well off.”

“Up and moving is a matter of perspective,” he would prefer for Silver to take it slow, but short of chaining him up, he couldn't find the right thing to say to make him realize that his leg, or what was left of it, needed time to heal. Knowing Silver was stubborn and wouldn't change his mind, he had to let him learn that lesson the hard way it seemed. “I'll have a look at you once I am done with Rogers.”

“You don't have to.”

“I want to, and as your doctor I'll tell you that should you be belligerent about it, it will become an order from your Captain.”

Flint arrived and heard Howell's last words, Silver's very loud and arrogant snort, gave Rogers one look and then decided to stay out of it all. Pointing towards the back-window, he informed Dobbs “That is where I want it, now, and on your way out, please take Mister Silver with you. I am sure your Quartermaster wants to be kept afloat with news about the ship and the men.” He was done sharing his cabin, it was bad enough he couldn't throw Rogers out without too loud objections from their doctor, but Silver was another matter. The man had moved into his own cabin, and if he needed time alone, then he could throw Madi out of that room. Which was something Flint would pay to see.

John was simply appalled, offended and a little amused “What? Flint, I have as much right as you to be in here, and what the fuck is Dobbs doing?”

“No you don't, and he's getting me an hammock, I refuse to spend time in a chair, watching that English bastard lay comfortably on my bunk. And below deck I do not have enough light to read, so I found a simple and effective solution.”

“Oh right, but I can stay on a chair.”

“No, you can stay in your own fucking cabin,” he pointed at Woodes “Him, unfortunately, I can't throw out, not yet anyway, but you and Rackham and Vane, you guys will have to find your own little place.” Not that Vane had been a big bother, the man strangely managed to stay out of his path, didn't ask stupid and unnecessary questions, took care of his own shit and the few men he had with him. Rackham on the other hand, he had heard him whine all the way from probably two decks down and he was already counting the minutes before he would come and complain about something to him in person.

“Oh, but Anne doesn't bother you, it is just me, Vane, Rackham, Rogers... I see...”

“It is very impolite to name yourself first, Silver, and no, Bonny just has the same fucked-up position I have, we have to listen to all of you whine and complain and make things more difficult.” He made a motion with his hand “Nagging, nagging, nagging, and nagging... For your lot, we'll turn the Walrus into a floating manor.”

Howell found it all very amusing, and scary, that grown-up men, and to be perfectly clear their Captain and their Quartermaster, managed this kind of bickering and bantering was phenomenal. He knew what De Groot would have to say about that when he told him. “Be that as it may, I have no knowledge of construction, so... My patient is doing as good as he can at the moment, I will let you talk about...”

“Yeah yeah, Howell... When can he be moved back below deck?”

“In a couple of days, it depends. For now though, I brought him here because I hoped he could rest here quietly and peacefully, right now he would be better taken care off with the men below deck.”

“Perfect. Want to take him with you? Be my guest.”

“No, I see the two of you bonded, hell,” he grinned while including Silver in it “The three of you. Wouldn't want to get between that and all...”

Flint waved towards the door “Get out of here Howell.”

Silver watched the doctor leave and laughed “Guess I have to thank you for that, Flint. He forgot about...” the door opened again and Howell waved his finger at him “I'll wait for you in your cabin, if you are not coming, I will have to tell Madi that you are being uncooperative.”

Flint enjoyed the moment maybe a bit too much “You were saying, Silver?”

“I'll get back to you for this, I swear, the both of you better watch it,” but as much as he wanted to fight them on this, he knew his stump needed to be looked after. It was hard but something he had to go through, and he most certainly did not want Madi to start getting involved again. “There will come the day when I'll remind you all of this moment, and how I felt,” he followed Howell who muttered something about him being nearly as bad as Rackham when it came to bitching and whining.

James needed a moment away from all the craziness, if only to sort the many impressions and reflections that had overwhelmed him in the past weeks. Looking over to see how the hammock was coming along, he found Dobbs sitting in it, grinning “I love this ship...” he jumped up and smirked as he passed his Captain “Nowhere I would prefer being, you know.”

“I am glad you can find some amusement in the chaos and madness that have become our lives, because between murdering Dufresne, stealing the cache back, free Rackham and take Rogers prisoner, I am not sure there are many other places you could actually be without swinging on the noose.”

Dobbs beamed a little to maniacally for his taste, but since the man disappeared and left him alone, he let it slip that he was becoming scarily unhinged. With the war that was steadily rolling towards them he needed his men unhinged and without mercy. And maybe a little gleeful and gloating too, it meant they were slowly growing together to become a real brotherhood, fighting for the same goals. He found it utterly amusing that he would ever think of him and Silver, and even worse, him and Vane as brothers. It was an uneasy alliance, but right now everything was working out perfectly. No one had been killed yet, if he ignored the incident back in Charles Town of which Silver would never recover, for now it worked.

 

There were other things that worried him more than a crew-member being a little too energetic though, and one of them was still _cluttering_ his cabin, the blanket half way down his chest again. He was pale, and not only because of the fever and the aftermath of the accident, the bruises that started to blossom all over his chest and face only accentuating his natural paleness more. Flint walked closer and wondered if he had been just as lacking any tan when he had first arrived in the Americas, fresh from England, running like a coward with Miranda instead of staying and saving Thomas. 'He died' he reminded himself, there had been nothing they could have done, all but make sure they could live and honour his name and his person. 

Which was exactly what he had not done, with the result that Miranda was dead and England had send someone with their plans, with Thomas' and his plans. Flint's hand squeezed Woodes' arm where it had come to rest on harder, making the man whimper and move again, his eyes fluttering open but his gaze unfocused and febrile. It didn't help to look into blue eyes, no matter how blood-shot they were, it was as if the universe wanted to mock him some more. 

It cost him a lot of self-control not to unleash all of his frustration and pain on Rogers, who was most certainly no saint and guilty of many deeds, but locking Thomas up and killing him was not one of them. Flint inhaled deeply and took the wash-cloth that lay in the basin Howell had brought and shushed his prisoner softly while he cleaned his face. He hadn't missed him with his punch, and an interesting pattern of blue, purple and red was starting to appear on his face, but not truly robbing him of that certain, interesting something he possessed.

Flint had noticed it when they had met on the beach, that aura of arrogance surrounding him and grating on the pirate's nerves like not much before it, but no matter what big of an asshole the man was, calling him bad looking or uncharismatic would be a blunt lie. He was more than handsome, and Flint assumed half of it was exactly that insufferable vibe he managed to radiate even when trashing feverishly in his enemy's bed, his mind anywhere but present. 

An annoyance, a nuisance, and he was certain they had not seen all of Rogers' temper yet, once he would be back to realizing where he was and who was actually washing the sweat of his chest, it wasn't gratitude Flint was expecting. At present that was not the case though and he could do whatever he pleased with the man, he wouldn't have the strength to fight back. Not that Flint's intentions were born out of ill-will, as much as he would love to just throw him over board and forget he ever existed, he wouldn't go and harm him while he was defenceless. Gauging and judging him yes, it was good to know how packed your opponent was, and in this case guess his fighting techniques. 

Rogers didn't have many scars on his chest, actually, while letting his eyes follow the cloth, he couldn't find any that would be worth mentioning. Which was astonishing considering the way he had fought them, and the general impression he gave. He didn't strike James as someone fighting behind lines of men, so the lack of marks either meant he had always gotten lucky or that he was terrifyingly gifted. 

“I should throw you overboard and be done with you, Rogers,” not that he would hear him but it did some good to voice it out loud. Woodes' eyes fluttered, but he did not grasp what had been said, all just strange noise in the world he was caught in. 

Flint continued to idly pass the wet cloth on the burning skin, his eyes laying on the scar on his chin and letting a finger trail over it. Not as perfect a fighter after all, it was a little relief that the man could actually be touched in a fight, though since he didn't know how Rogers had gotten them, he could only guess their origin. Woodes reacted to the touch, trying to weakly twist his face away with a groan and Flint sighed, not sure what he was doing there, touching an enemy like that while reflecting upon why those scars in his face made him look even more attractive. 

He definitely was going mad and in desperate need of rest if he started to ponder Rogers' looks, Flint didn't even want to know where those thoughts had come from, he might as well begin to ponder Vane's impressive abs or Billy's arms, or hell, even Silver's absolutely ravishing smile while he was at it, it would be just as insane. He threw the cloth back into the basin and pulled the blanket back up, leaving Woodes' to his delirious dreams as he got comfortable in his new hammock, loving the idea that had come to him while talking to Dobbs earlier. It really was nicer laying and swinging softly, with a little breeze and the ocean as a view. If he had his spyglass he could even see Hornigold following them like the bastard he was but that did not matter right now. Right now all he wanted to do was have a moment of rest, of sleep, best with no dreams haunting him. 

 

His wish got granted, Flint only waking when the sun had long set and Howell came in to check on Woodes one last time before retiring himself. He stretched in his hammock, ignoring the other man for a while before he got up, stretching again. “I guess nothing out of the ordinary happened or I would have been woken up earlier.”

Howell chuckled “No, everything is still as it was hours ago... Rogers' state is unchanged, Silver is a stubborn oaf and Rackham is telling anyone who wants or doesn't want to hear it that he is in major pain.”

“I didn't miss anything I see.”

“Absolutely nothing, there's stew there for you,” he motioned towards the desk “Silver brought it earlier and left it here in case you woke.”

The door opened and Vane entered, Flint already feeling as if he had to start kicking people out of his cabin again, but as came to light fast, he had prepared one of Teach's concoctions for Rogers.

“Really Vane?”

Charles looked up, not understanding what Flint's problem was “What? Prepared one for me too, helps you sleep nice and tight.” Flint was eyeing him quizzically so he shrugged “It's just tea with rum, a bit of sugar I found and some lemon. I hope Rackham will get knocked out by it. That was the idea behind it.”

“Oh yes please,” Howell gave Flint a pleading look but received nothing but gloating from his Captain “Rackham is his own Captain, can't run around and tell him to shut up. Doesn't work that way with that... man... Try Bonny, she seems to have gotten a hang out of how to pull him around by his balls.”

“What balls?” Vane's no nonsense expression made Flint chuckle “Good point.”

“Alright, let's hope it will offer him a nice night of rest.” Howell had been unsure about Vane's drink when he had come across him brewing it earlier, but it made sense such a mix would cleanse the body a little. Anything to have Rogers back up, lucid and conscious fast so he could go back to chasing Silver around the ship.

It took them a bit but then had half of the drink down his throat, Howell downing the rest before any of the other men could claim the tankard for themselves. “Don't give me that look, I am done for the day and I want to see if it helps you sleep as good as Vane says.”

“It does. Believe me, it does.”

“Yes, well I should go and find my bed then, Captain,” he looked from Flint to Vane back to Flint and then grinned, there most certainly were too many captains aboard right now “Captain...” Shaking his head he added “I see you all in the morning” and then made his way to his hammock, feeling the warmth of Vane's drink nicely spread through his body.

Woodes felt it too, not realizing how or why he suddenly felt as if his bones were lead and a blanket of warmth surrounded him, but a deep sleep hit him and Flint chuckled at the sigh that escaped him. “I think he's out for the night.”

“Good,” Charles hoped Jack would be just as dead to the world, if he heard one more complaint about his face hurting, and yes, Jack looked as if he had fought an army but that was no reason to beg for attention and compassion, he would probably add to his pains by punching him. He loved him like a brother but enough was enough.

“What?” Vane needed a second to get what Flint meant and then grinned “I was just thinking about Rackham, hope he is as deeply asleep as Rogers by now.”

“So he's really that exhausting?”

“You've got no idea... But to his credit, Rogers' punches didn't miss him, apparently our good Jack fought like a madman against a madman in that carriage,” he served himself some rum, not waiting for Flint to offer him some “His words, not mine.”

Flint snickered “Yeah right.” He wouldn't belittle Rackham, he didn't know him well enough, but what he knew was that he liked to complain and that he stayed out of fights. Not a problem as long as he had Vane and Bonny around, but when alone it could become dangerous “I don't know how well Rogers fought but...”

“Oh, better than Jack, Jack can fight but it is not, well,” Charles laughed “He's Jack, can't imagine him any different. At least he fought back.” And he probably helped them out by doing so.

“And he'll heal, just annoying that we can't evade him much on a ship.”

“Oh, I'll evade him alright,” Charles downed another cup of rum “And you should too if you don't want to contemplate drowning him.” 

“Since he's probably out cold after your poison, I don't suppose we risk anything.”

“Tomorrow is another day, Flint, tomorrow is another day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure I am happy with this chapter hence why it took me a bit to finally decide to post it and be done with it lol, it is a bit of an interlude, and I'll fast-forward a day or two to have Woodes awake and interacting with everyone in the next chapter.


End file.
